IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-S) 


^.r 


1.0 


1.1 


■a  12.8 

lit  IM 

ly 


2.2 


■4.0 


2.0 


lyi  iii4  U4 


Sdmces 
Carpora&Hi 


23  WKT  MAIN  STMHT 

\MnSTII,N.Y.  l4ftM 

(7U)t7a*4S03 


A<Sf 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canedian  Institute  for  Historical  IVIicroraproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  da  microrapr eductions  historiquas 


\\ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notas/Notet  tachniquaa  at  bibliographiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attempted  to  obtain  the  beat 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Featurea  of  thia 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  tha  imagea  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantiy  change 
the  uaual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I     I   Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagAe 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  peiliculte 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  iiiustrationa  en  couleur 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReliA  avac  d'autres  documents 


y~7\    Tight  binding  may  cauae  ahadows  or  diatortion 


along  interior  margin/ 

Lareliure  serrie  peut  cauaer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  f" 

diatortion  le  long  de  la  marge  IntArieure 

Blank  leavea  added  during  reatoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Wiienever  poaaibie,  theae 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainea  pagea  blanchea  ajoutAea 
lore  d'une  reatauration  apparaissent  dana  le  texte, 
maia,  lorsque  cela  Atait  poaaibie,  cea  pagee  n'ont 
paa  6t6  filmtes. 

Additional  commenta:/ 
Commentairae  supplAmentalrea: 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  4t4  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  d<^tsiis 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m^thoda  normale  de  filmage 
sont  Indiqute  ci-dessous. 


n 


n 

n 
n 

n 


Coloured  pagea/ 
Pagea  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pagea  endommagtes 

Pagea  reatorad  and/or  laminated/ 
Pagea  rastaurAea  et/ou  pellicultes 

Pagea  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pagea  dAcolortea,  tachettea  ou  piqutea 

Pagea  detached/ 
Pagea  d^tachtea 

Showthrough/ 
Tranaparance 

Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualit^  in^gala  de  I'impreaaion 

Includea  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  aupplAmentaira 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  idition  diaponibia 

Pagea  wholly  or  partially  obacurad  by  errata 
aiipa,  tiaauea,  etc.,  have  been  ref limed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pagea  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata.  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  AtA  filmiee  A  nouveau  de  fa^on  h 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  poaaibie. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  eat  fiimA  au  taux  de  rMuctlon  indiqu*  ci-daaaoua. 


The 
toti 


The 

POSJ 

of  tl 
film 


Oric 
beg 
the 
sior 
oth4 
first 
sior 
oril 


The 
shal 
TIN 
whi 

Mai 
diffi 
enti 
beg 
righ 
reqi 
met 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

30X 

X 

12X 

16X 

20X 

MX 

2IX 

32X 

kira 
details 
UM  du 
t  modifi«r 
gor  un« 
I  filmaga 


ites 


ira 


»y  arrata 
ad  to 

int 

na  palura, 

i^on  A 


XI 


Tha  copy  filmad  hara  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of  ■ 

Scott  Library, 
York  UniMnity 

Tha  imagas  appaaring  hara  arm  tha  bast  quality 
possibia  considaring  tha  condition  and  iagibility  > 
of  tha  original  copy  and  In  Icaaping  with  tha 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  coplas  in  printad  papar  covara  ara  fllmad 
beginning  with  tha  front  covar  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printad  or  iilustratad  impres- 
sion, or  the  bacit  covar  whan  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ara  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  iiiuatratad  Impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  Iilustratad  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  Y  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

IMaps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Thoaa  too  large  to  be 
entirely  Included  in  one  expoaura  are  filmed 
beginning  In  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framaa  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illuatrata  tha 
method: 


1 

2 

3 

L'exempiaira  fllmA  f ut  reproduit  grice  A  la 
gAnirositA  de: 


Scott  Library, 
York  UniMnity 

Lee  imagea  suivcntea  ont  4t4  reproduites  avac  la 
plus  grand  soln,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exempiaira  filmA,  at  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmaga. 

Les  exempiairas  orlginaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprlmte  sent  fllmfo  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  at  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
(larniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'in>pression  ou  d'lllustration,  aoit  par  la  second 
plat,  salon  la  ca«.  Tous  las  autres  axamplairas 
orlginaux  sont  fiimfo  en  commenpant  par  la 
pramlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iilustration  at  en  terminant  par 
la  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  dee  symboles  suivants  apparattra  sur  la 
darnlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  la  symbole  — »-  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  ▼  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planchaa,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  A  dee  taux  da  reduction  difftrants. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grend  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  ciichA,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
da  I'angia  aupAriaur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'Images  nteessaira.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrant  la  m^thoda. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

M    i:    X     I 


Rngli&h  Milcii 

I    T-l     f- ,  ---TTf  t t 


J*ub/ij/in/  hv  John   ifiuniy  AUn'iiitirh'  Slm't  Lvittio 


»/  hv  Jvhil  Miurtiv  Alltiliiilrlr  Stm't  Loiulim   Jftjr   // .    A»-/5 


TRAVELS 


mtdb\'.I<K'-^aff^ 


IN 


NOETH   AMERICA, 

m  THE  TEARS  1841-2 ; 
WITH 

GEOLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS 

ON 

,THE    UNITED   STATES, 

CANADA,  AND  NOVA  SCOTIA. 


BY  CHARLES  LYELL,  ESQ.,  F.R.S. 

AUTHOR  OF  THE  PRINCIPLES   OP  OEOLOOT. 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES. 

VOL.  n. 

NEW- YORK : 
WILEY  AND  PUTNAM,    161  BROADWAY. 


1845. 


n 


4 


r 


f 


ii.-.._. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  II. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


PAOI. 


Dr.  Channing.— Agitation  in  Rhode  Island.— Armed  Conven- 
tion—Sail through  Amboy  Straits.— Journey  to  Philadel- 
phia and  Baltimore.— Harper's  Ferry.— Passage  over  the 
Alleghanies  by  National  Road.— Parallel  Ridges.— Absence 
of  Drift.— Structure  and  Origin  of  Appalachians.— Theory  of 
Subsidence  and  Contraction  of  Subterranean  Fluid. — Ken- 
tucky Farmers.— Emigrants.-Cumberland  Coal  Field.— Clay 
with  Stigmaria.— Marine  Shells  in  Coal-Measures  near 
Frostburg. — Wide  Geographical  Distribution  of  Fossil  Coal 
Plants 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Alleghany  Mountains. — Union. — Horizontal  Coal  Formation. — 
Brownsville  on  the  Monongahela.— Facilities  of  Working 
Coal.— Navigable  Rivers. — Great  Future  Resources  of  the 
Country.— Pittsburg. — Illinois  Coal  Field.— Fossil  Indian 
Corn.— Indian  Mounds  near  Wheeling. — General  Harrison 
on  their  high  Antiquity. — Dr.  Morton  on  the  aboriginal  In- 
dians.—Remarks  on  the  Civilisation  of  the  Mexicans  and 
other  Tribes. — Marietta. — Silicified  Trees  or  Psarolites  of 
Ohio.— Coal  of  Pomeroy.— New  Settlements. — Cincinnati.. 


20 


I     I 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Succession  of  Strata  on  the  Ohio  between  Pomeroy  and  Cin- 
cinnati.— Return  up  the  Ohio  to  Rockville. — Waverley  Sand- 
stone.- Cliff  Limestone. — Denudation.— Blue  Limestone  of 
Cincinnati. — Lower  Silurian  Fossils.— Limited  Proportion  of 
Silurian  Species  common  to  Europe  and  America.— Great 
Development  of  Brachiopoda. — Deep  Sea  Formations. — Rar- 
ity of  Silurian  Land  Plants.— Silurian  Fossil  Fish 39 


' 


IV 


CONTKNTS. 


rAOB. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Alluvial  Terraces  at  Cincinnati,  and  their  Origin.— Bones  of 
the  Elephant  and  Mastodon. — Excursion  to  the  Swamps  of 
Big  Bone  Lick,  in  Kentucky.— Noble  Forest— Salt  Springs. 
— Buffalo  Trails. — Numerous  Bones  of  Extinct  Animals. — 
Associated  Freshwater  and  LandshcUs. — Relative  Ago  of 
Northern  Drift,  and  Deposits  with  Bones  of  Mastodon  on 
the  Ohio SO 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Cincinnati. — Journey  across  Ohio  to  Cleveland. — New  Clear- 
ings— Rapid  progress  of  the  State  since  the  year  1800.— In- 
crease of  Population  in  the  United  States.— Political  Dis- 
cussions.— German  and  Irish  Settlers.— Stump  Oratory. — 
Presidential  Elections.— Relative  Value  of  Labour  and 
Land 


61 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
Cleveland.- Ridges  of  Land  and  Gravel  along  the  Southern 
coast  of  Lake  Erie. — Their  Origin. — Frcdonia ;  streets  light- 
ed with  natural  Gas. — Falls  of  Niagara. — Burning  Spring. — 
Passing  behind  the  Falls. — Daguerreotype  of  the  Falls.— 
Boulder  Formation  of  Whirlpool,  and  Valley  of  St.  David's. 
— Glacial  polishing  and  Furrows. — Influence  of  Icebergs  on 
Drift 71 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Mirage  on  Lake  Ontario. — Toronto.— Excursion  with  Mr.  Roy 
to  examine  the  Parallel  Ridges  between  Lakes  Ontario  and 
Simcoe. — Correspondence  of  Level  in  their  Base-lines  over 
wide  Areas.— Origin  of  the  Ridges. — Lacustrine  Theory. — 
Hypothesis  of  Sand-banks  formed  under  Water.— Rapid  Pro- 
gress of  the  Colony. — British  Settlers  unable  to  speak  Eng- 
lish       83 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Kingston. — Montreal.— French  Population  and  Language.— 
Quebec.  —  Soldiers.  —  Deserters.  —  Three  Rivers.  —  Scotch 
Emigrants. — Distinctness  of  French  and  British  Canadians. 
—Large  Military  Force.— American  Sympathizers. — Geolo- 
logical  Survey. — Analogy  in  Structure  of  Canada  and  Scan- 
dinavia.— Section  at  Falls  of  Montmorency.— Uncomfortable 


^ 


CON  T»;NT^. 


rAOB. 


V 


•igin.— Bones  of 
the  Swamps  of 
,— Salt  Springs. 
Inct  Animals. — 
clativo  Ago  of 
>f  Mastodon  on 


1— New  Clear- 
year  1800.— In- 
— Political  Dis- 
imp  Oratory.— 
!*    Labour   and 


;  the  Southern 
;  streets  light- 
ning Spring. — 
jf  the  Falls.— 
of  St.  David's, 
of  Icebergs  on 


with  Mr.  Roy 
es  Ontario  and 
>ase-Iines  over 
ine  Theory. — 
r.— Rapid  Pro- 
to  speak  Eng- 


Language.— 
fers.  —  Scotch 
sh  Canadians, 
izers. — Geolo- 
ida  and  Scan- 
Jncomfortable 


SO 


61 


71 


85 


position  of  lowest  I'ossiliferous  Sandstone  to  Gneiss. — Sup 
posed  Monument  of  the  Commencement  of  the  Organic 
World. — To  what  extent  the  Granitic  Rocks  are  primary. — 
Difficulty  of  establishing  the  Date  of  Metamorphic  Action.— 
Two  Sources  of  popular  error  respecting  the  more  abundant 
production  of  Hypogcne  Rocks  at  Remote  Periods.. 00 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Glacial  Furrows  in  the  Valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence.— Action  of 
packed  ice  in  the  Canadian  Rivers.— Boulder  Formation  with 
and  without  Shells.— Gannanoqui.— Mountain  of  Montreal. — 
Recent  Shells  in  Drift  more  than  500  feet  above  the  Sea. — 
Lake  St.  Peter.— Falls  of  Maskinonge.— Deposit  of  Shells  at 
Beaufort  near  Quebec. — Agreement  with  Swedish  Fossils.— 
Shells  in  Boulder  Formation  of  Lake  Charoplain. — Burling- 
ton, Vermont. — Fossils  of  Drift  imply  a  colder  climate. — 
Scenery  of  Lake  Champlain. — Organic  Remains  of  lowest 
Silurian  Sandstone. — Lingula. — Vermont  Mountains. — Inns 
and  Boarding-houses. — Return  to  Boston 113 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Halifax. — Glacial  P'urrows  in  Nova  Scotia.— Difference  of  Cli- 
mate of  Halifax  and  Windsor. — Tracts  covered  with  Kal- 
mia.— Linnaea  borealis.- High  tides  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 
The  Bore. — Recent  deposits  of  Red  Mud  hardened  in  the 
Sun.— Fossil  Showers  of  Rain.— Footprints  of  Birds,  and 
casts  of  the  same. — Cracks  caused  by  Shrinkage. — Submerged 
Frost. — Recent  Glacial  Furrows  at  Cape  Blomidon. — Loaded 
Ice.— Ice-ruts  in  Mud 136 

CHAPTER  XXIV 

Coal  Formation  of  Nova  Scotia. — Productive  Coal-Measures. 
Erect  Fossil  Trees  in  the  Cliffs  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy.— Sec- 
tion from  Minudie  to  the  South  Joggins.— Ten  buried  For- 
ests, one  above  the  other.— Connection  of  upright  Trees  with 
Seams  of  Coal. — Stigmaria. — Sigillaria. — Evi<!tence  of  Re- 
peated Submergence  of  dry  Land. — Theory  to  explain  the 
Evenness  of  the  Ancient  Surface. — Pictou  Coal  Field. — Bed 
of  Erect  Calamites,  compared  to  those  of  St.  Etionne,  in 
France.— List  of  Species  of  Nova  Scotia  Coal-plants.— Four- 
fifth  of  these  Fossils  identified  with  European  Species.- 
Carboniferous  Flora  of  the  United  States 148 


<1 


n 


CONTCNTN. 


rAoi. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Lower  CarboniferouM  or  Oypsiferous  Formation  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia.— Wh>  formerly  considered  at  newer  than  the  productive 
Coal. — Determination  of  ita  true  ago.— Section*  near  Wind- 
sor.— Supposed  Reptilian  Footsteps. — Section  on  the  Shu- 
benacadie.— Large  Masses  of  Gypsum.— Their  Origin —Vol- 
canic Action  contemporaneous  with  Nova  Scotia  Coal 
Measures.— Limestone  with  Marine  Shells.— Table  of  Orga- 
nic Remains  of  the  Carboniferous  Limestone  of  Nova  Scotia 
and  Island  of  Cape  Breton 172 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Progress  and  Resources  of  Nova  Scotia. — Highland  Settlers. — 
Timber  Duties. — Cobequid  Hills.— Conflagration  of  Forests. 
— Albion  Mines. — Humming  Birda.- Estuary  of  the  Shu- 
benacadie. — Stakes  cut  by  Beavers. — Promotion  of  Science. — 
Social  Equality. — Nova  Scotians  •*  going  home."— Return  to 
England 1 188 

Description  of  Plates  and  Maps 198 


rAoi. 


lion  of  Nova  Sco- 

I 

lan  the  productivo 

4' 

ctiona  near  Wind- 

;tinn  on  the  Shu- 

% 

heir  Origin.— Vol- 

ova    Scotia    Coal 

».— Table  of  Orga- 

ne  of  Nova  Scotia 
172 

1 

ghland  Settlers.— 

1 

ration  of  Forests. 

■{-•i 

lary  of  the  Shu- 

'/{ 

tion  of  Science.— 

^'; 

ome."— Return  to 

■% 

188 


198 


JOURNAL 


or  A 


TOUR  IN  NORTH  AMERICA, 


IN   1841-2. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

J>r.  Charming. — Agitation  in  Shade  bland.— Armed  Conven- 
tion. — Sail  through  Amboy  Straita. — Journey  to  Philadel- 
phia and  Baltimore. — Harper's  Ferry. — Passage  over  the 
Alleghaniea  by  JVational  Road. — Parallel  Ridges. — Absenie 
of  Drift. — Structure  and  Origin  of  Appalachians.— Theory 
of  Subsidence  and  Contraction  of  Subterranean  Fluid. — 
Kentucky  Farmers. — Emigrants. — Cumberland  Coal  Field. — 
Clay  with  Stigmaria. — Marine  Sheila  in  Coal  Measures  near 
Frostburg.—  Wide  Geographical  Distribution  of  Fossil  Coal 
Plants. 


I  ;l 


April  17,  1842. — Duuing  my  stay  at  Boston,  I  was 
fortunate  enough  to  hear  Dr.  Channing  preach  one 
of  the  last  sermons  he  deUvered  from  the  pulpit. 
His  declining  health  had  prevented  him  from  doing 
regular  duty  of  late  years  ;  but  there  seemed  no 
reason  to  anticipate  that  he  would  so  soon  be  taken 
away  from  a  community  over  which  he  exerted  a 
great  and  salutary  influence.  His  sermon  was  less 
impressive  than  I  had  expected,  and  fell  short  of  the 
high    conception    I  had   formed  of   him  from    his 


n 


VOL.    II. 


DR.    CIIANNINQ. 


Chap.  xiv. 


writings  ;  but  this  I  imputed  entirely  to  his  want  of 
physical  strength,  and  the  weak  state  of  his  voice. 
I  had  afterwards  the  pleasure  of  conversing  freely 
with  him  at  a  small  dinner  party  on  various  subjects 
in  which  he  was  interested  ;  among  others,  the  bear- 
ing of  geological  discoveries,  respecting  the  earth's 
antiquity  and  the  extinct  races  of  animals,  on  the 
Mosaic  account  of  the  history  of  man  and  the  crea- 
tion. I  was  struck  with  the  livelv  interest  he  took 
in  tlie  political  affairs  of  Rhode  Island, — a  neigh- 
bouring State,  containing  about  110,000  inhabitants, 
and  now  convulsed  by  a  revolutionary  movement  in 
favor  of  an  extension  of  the  suffrage.  The  sym- 
pathies of  Dr.  Channing  appeared  to  lean  strongly 
to  the  popular  party,  which,  in  his  opinion,  had 
grievances  to  complain  of,  however  much,  by  their 
violent  proceedings,  they  had  put  themselves  in  the 
wrong. 

As  some  alarmists  assured  me  that  the  railway  to 
Providence,  by  which  I  intended  to  pass  southwards 
in  a  few  days,  "  was  commanded  by  the  cannon  of 
the  insurgents,"  my  curiosity  was  awakened  to 
inquire  into  this  affair,  the  details  of  which  were  not 
uninstructive,  as  giving  a  curious  insight  into  the 
character  of  the  New  England  people,  and  showing 
their  respect  for  law  and  order,  even  when  their 
passions  are  highly  excited.  I  found  that  Rhode 
Island  was  still,  in  the  year  1842,  governed  according 
to  a  charter  granted  by  Charles  II.  in  the  year  1G63, 
no  alteration  having  been  made  in  the  qualifications 
of  voters  at  the  period  when  the  sovereignty  was 
transferred  from  the  crown  of  Great  Britain  to  the 
freeholders  of  Rhode   Island.     Although  the  Stato 


t'HAP.  XIV, 

Jly  to  his  want  of 
state  of  his  voice, 
conversing  freely 
I  various  subjects 

others,  the  bcar- 
■cting  the  earth's 

animals,  on  tlie 
nan  and  the  crea- 

interest  he  took 
sland, — a  neifjh- 
0,000  inhabitants, 
ary  movement  in 
age.  The  sym- 
to  lean  strongly 
lis  opinion,  had 

much,  by  their 
hemselves  in  the 

It  the  railway  to 
pass  southwards 
y  the  cannon  of 
s    awakened    to 

which  were  not 
insight  into  the 
le,  and  showing 
ten  when  their 
nd  that  Rhode 
erned  according 

the  year  1663, 
le  qualifications 
3vereignty  was 

Britain  to  the 
'Ugh   the  Stafo 


Chap.  xiv. 


RHODE    ISLAND    CONVENTION. 


8 


has  been  flourishing,  and  is  entirely  free  from  debt,  a 
large  majority  of  the  people  have,  for  the  last  forty 
years,  called  loudly  on  the  privileged  landholders  to 
give  up  their  exclusive  right  of  voting,  and  to  extend 
the  suffrage  to  all  the  adult  males,  in  accordance 
with  the  system  established  in  all  the  neighbouring 
States.  The  dispute  turned  mainly  on  a  question  of 
a  very  abstract  nature  for  the  comprehension  of  the 
multitude,  though  in  reality  one  of  great  consti- 
tutional importance  ;  namely,  whether  the  change 
should  be  made  according  to  the  forms  prescribed  in 
the  charter  of  1663,  or  might  be  effected  by  the  peo- 
ple in  its  capacity  of  sovereign,  without  regard  to 
any  established  forms.  The  latter  method  was 
advocated  by  the  democratic  leaders  as  most  flatter- 
ing to  the  people,  and  with  such  success  that  they 
organized  a  formidable  association  in  opposition  to 
the  government.  Their  demands  did  not  differ  very 
materially  from  those  which  the  legislature  was 
willing  to  concede,  except  that  the  democrats  claim- 
ed the  suffrage,  not  only  for  every  American-born 
citizen,  but  also  for  the  new-comers,  or  the  settlers 
of  a  few  years'  standing.  Both  parties  agreed  to 
exclude  the  free  blacks.  At  length,  as  their  wishes 
were  not  complied  with,  the  "  Suflrage  Convention" 
resolved  to  intimidate  their  opponents  by  a  military 
enrolment  and  drilling,  and  were  soon  joined  by 
several  companies  of  militia. 

The  governor  of  Rhode  Island  was  so  much 
alarmed  as  to  call  on  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  afford  him  aid,  which  was  declined  on  the 
ground  that  no  overt  act  of  violence  had  been  com- 
mitted.     The  insurgents   then    elected   a    separate 


i   ! 


DEMOCRATIC    MOVEMENT. 


Chap.  xiv. 


senate  and  house  of  representatives,  and  one  Dorr  as 
governor  of  the  State,  who  proceeded  to  Washing- 
ton, and  had  an  interview  with  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  with  several  members  of  congress. 
Meanwhile  military  preparations  were  making  on 
both  sides.  A  second  appeal  was  made  in  vain  by 
the  State  of  Rhode  Island  for  aid  from  the  federal 
government  at  Washington.  Meetings  of  sympa- 
thizers were  held  at  New  York  to  co-operate  with 
the  popular  party,  who  had  now  obtained  some  pieces 
of  cannon,  and  attempted  to  get  possession  of  the 
arsenal  at  Providence.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
the  State  government  called  out  the  militia,  who 
mustered  in  great  force,  and,  after  a  bloodless  affray, 
the  popular  party,  which  had  already  dwindled  down 
to  a  few  hundreds,  deserted  their  leader,  Dorr.  This 
champion  made  his  escape,  but  was  soon  after  taken, 
tried  for  high  treason,  and  condemned  to  imprison- 
ment. Before  the  conclusion  of  tWs  affair  the  gov- 
ernment at  Washington  signified  their  readiness  to 
furnish  the  required  troops,  but  their  offer  of  aid  came 
late,  and  the  assistance  was  no  longer  needed. 

The  firmness  of  the  Rhode  Island  legislature  under 
the  threats  of  the  armed  populace  at  home,  and,  what 
was  more  formidable,  of  the  sympathizers  from  with- 
out, and  the  respect  shown  to  constitutional  forms  by 
the  mass  of  the  people  in  the  midst  of  this  excite- 
ment, are  circumstances  highly  creditable  to  the 
majority  of  the  citizens.  It  remains  to  be  seen 
whether  an  extension  of  the  suffrage,  which  was 
afterwards  granted,  will  promote  or  impede  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  good  government  in  this  small  State. 

May  2,  1842. — We  now  set  out  on  a  tour  to  the 


lENT. 


Chap.  xiv. 


Chap,  xiv- 


AMBOY    STRAITS. 


'es,  and  one  Dorr  as 
;eeded  to  Washing- 
the  President  of  the 
lembers  of  congress, 
s  were  making  on 
as  made  in  vain  by 
lid  from  the  federal 
leetings  of  sympa- 
to  co-operate  with 
Jtained  some  pieces 
;  possession  of  the 
occasion,  however, 
>t  the  militia,  who 
•  a  bloodless  affray, 
ady  dwindled  down 
eader,  Dorr.     This 
|as  soon  after  taken, 
3mned  to  imprison- 
tM*s  affair  the  gov- 
their  readiness  to 
ir  offer  of  aid  came 
iger  needed, 
id  legislature  under 
at  home,  and,  what 
ithizers  from  with- 
stitutional  forms  by 
idst  of  this  excite- 
creditable  to   the 
Tfiains   to   be  seen 
fiage,  which   was 
r  impede  the  cause 
ti  this  small  State, 
t  on  a  tour  to  the 


valley  of  the  Ohio  and  the  country  west  of  the 
Alleghany  mountains,  taking  the  railway  to  Pro- 
vidence, and  a  steam-boat  from  thence  to  New  York. 
Afterwards  we  went  to  Philadelphia  by  Amboy, 
passing  through  the  beautiful  strait  which  separates 
the  mainland  of  New  Jersey  from  Staten  Island. 
This  winding  channel  is,  in  parts,  only  half  a  mile, 
and  even  less,  in  width,  with  many  elegant  villas  and 
country  houses  on  Staten  Island.  Its  banks  are  often 
well-wooded,  and  it  resembles  a  river,  or  Homer's 
description  of  the  broad  Hellespont,  which,  as  Gibbon 
observes,  the  poet  had  evidently  likened  to  a  river, 
and  not  to  an  arm  of  the  sea. 

The  trees  in  New  England  are  now  only  be- 
ginning (in  the  first  week  of  May)  to  unfold  their 
leaves,  after  an  unusually  mild  winter.  They  remain 
leafless  for  nearly  seven  months  in  the  year,  although 
in  latitude  42°  and  43°  N.,  corresponding  geogra- 
phically to  Southern  Italy.  In  New  Jersey  the  scar- 
let maple  is  putting  forth  its  young  leaves  ;  the  horse- 
chestnuts  and  lime-trees  are  in  bloom ;  the  lilacs  flow- 
ering in  the  gardens,  and  the  Judas  tree  conspicuous 
with  its  purplish  pink  blossom.  The  dogwood  also 
abounds  in  the  forests,  with  such  a  display  of  white 
flowers  as  to  take  the  place  of  our  hawthorn. 

We  reached  Philadelphia  without  fatigue  in  less 
than  twenty-two  hours,  a  distance  of  300  miles  from 
Boston,  having  slept  on  board  the  steam-boat  be- 
tween Stonington  (Connecticut)  and  New  York. 
We  proceeded  from  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore,  and 
from  thence  ascended  the  beautiful  valley  of  the 
Patapsco,  for  60  miles,  to  Frederick.  Between 
Baltimore  and  Frederick,  I  passed  over  highly  in- 

2* 


6 


HARITK  d    IKRRY. 


Chap.  xiv. 


.    ! 


(    I 


clined  strata  of  gneiss,  mica  schist,  and  other  me- 
tamorphic  rocks,  which  began  to  be  covered  at  Fre- 
derick, and  between  that  and  the  first  ridge  of  the 
Alleghany  hills,  with  unconformable  beds  of  the  New 
Red  Sandstone,  dipping  gently  to  the  southwest,  or 
towards  the  mountains.  We  continued  chiefly  on 
this  red  sandstone  between  Frederick  and  Harper's 
Ferry,  and  then  entered  again  upon  mica  schist  and 
chlorite  slate. 

At  Harper's  Ferry,  in  Virginia,  the  Potomac, 
about  fifty  miles  above  Washington,  is  joined  by  the 
Shenandoah,  a  river  as  large  as  itself,  and  after  uniting, 
they  issue  through  a  transverse  gorge  in  the  moun- 
tains. This  gorge  interested  me  from  its  exact  resem- 
blance to  the  Lehigh  Gap,  before  described,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, by  which  the  Delaware  flows  out  from  the 
hilly  country.  The  scenery  of  Harper's  Ferry  has 
been  overpraised,  but  is  very  picturesque. 

I  had  hired  a  carriage  at  Frederick  to  carry  me  to 
Harper's  Ferry,  and  thence  to  Hagerstown,  on  the 
main  road  across  the  mountains.  When  I  paid  the 
driver,  he  told  me  that  one  of  my  dollar  notes  was 
bad,  "  a  mere  personal  note."  I  asked  him  to  explain, 
when  he  told  me  that  he  had  issued  such  notes  him- 
self. "  A  friend  of  mine  at  Baltimore,"  he  said, "  who 
kept  an  oyster  store,  once  proposed  to  me  to  sign 
twenty-five  such  notes,  promising  that  if  I  would  eat 
out  their  value  in  oysters,  he  would  circulate  them. 
They  all  passed,  and  we  never  heard  of  them  again." 
1  asked  how  he  reconciled  this  transaction  to  his  con- 
science ?  He  replied,  that  their  currency  was  in  a 
very  unsound  state,  all  the  banks  having  suspended 
cash  payment,  and  their  only  hope  was  that  matters 


CftAP.  XIV. 

ist,  and  other  me- 
be  covered  at  Frc- 
'  first  ridge  of  the 
e  beds  of  the  New 
the  southwest,  or 
itinucd  chiefly  on 
'ick  and  Harper's 
n  mica  schist  and 

'a»  the  Potomac, 
» is  joined  by  the 
and  after  uniting, 
'ge  in  the  moun- 
n  its  exact  resem- 
scribed,  in  Penn- 
ws  out  from  the 
-per's  Ferry  has 
isque. 

k  to  carry  me  to 
erstown,  on  the 
^ben  I  paid  the 
oilar  notes  was 
bim  to  explain, 
'uch  notes  him- 
' he  said,  "who 
to  me  to  sign 
if  I  would  eat 
ircuJate  them, 
f  them  again." 
'on  to  his  con- 
ficy  was  in  a 
'ig  suspended 
that  matters 


Chap.  xiv. 


CRUsaiN'O    THE    ALLEGIIANIES. 


would  soon  become  so  bad  that  they  must  bcf^'in  to 
mend.  In  short,  it  appeared  that  he  and  his  friend 
had  done  their  best  to  hasten  on  so  desirable  a  crisis. 

The  next  day  two  Marylanders,  one  of  them  the 
driver  of  the  stage  coach,  declared  that  if  the  State 
should  impose  a  property  tax,  they  would  resist  pay- 
ment. As  funds  are  now  wanted  to  pay  the  dividends 
on  the  public  debt,  the  open  avowal  of  such  opinions 
in  a  country  where  all  have  votes,  sounded  in  my 
ears  as  of  ominous  import. 

In  our  passage  over  the  Alleghanies,  we  now  fol- 
lowed what  is  called  the  National  Road  to  Cumber- 
land and  Frostburg,  crossing  a  great  succession  of 
parallel  ridges,  long  and  unbroken,  with  narrow  in- 
tervening valleys,  the  whole  clothed  with  wood, 
chiefly  oak.  The  dogwood,  with  its  white  flowers, 
was  very  conspicuous.  The  north-western  slopes  of 
the  hills  were  covered  with  the  azalea  in  full  flower, 
of  every  shade,  from  a  pale  pink  to  a  deep  crimson. 
They  are  called  here  the  wild  honeysuckle.  Had  not 
my  attention  been  engrossed  with  the  examination  of 
the  geological  structure  of  the  numerous  parallel 
chains,  the  scenery  would  have  been  very  monotonous, 
the  outline  of  each  long  ridge  being  so  even  and  un- 
broken, and  there  being  so  great  a  want  in  this  chain 
of  a  dominant  ridge.  There  is  a  remarkable  absence 
of  ponds  or  lakes  among  these  mountains,  nor  do  we 
see  any  of  those  broad,  dead  flats  so  common  in  other 
chains,  especially  the  Pyrenees,  which  seem  to  in 
dicate  the  place  of  ancient  lakes  filled  up  with  sedi- 
ment. Another  peculiarity,  also,  of  a  negative 
kind,  is  the  entire  absence  of  the  boulder  formation, 
or  drift  with  transported   blocks,  which   forms   so 


8 


STRUCTURE    OF   THE    CHAIN. 


Chap.  xiv. 


marked  a  feature  in  the  hills  and  valleys  of  New 
England. 

I  have  before  spoken  briefly  of  the  structure  of  the 
Allcghanies  (p.  92)  and  their  geological  conformation, 
as  explained  by  the  Professors  W.  B.  and  H.  D. 
Rogers.  The  accompanying  map  (pi.  2)  will  serve 
to  give  the  reader  some  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
the  parallel  belts,  or  long  narrow  zones  of  disturbed 
strata  of  different  ages,  break  out  at  the  surface  along 
the  line  of  this  mountain  chain,  so  as  to  be  represented 
by  numerous  stripes  of  colour,  running  in  a  general 
direction  from  N.  E.  to  S.  W.  It  will  be  seen  that 
the  inferior  or  older  groups  of  the  Silurian  scries 
range  chiefly  along  the  eastern  or  south-eastern  flank 
of  the  Appalachians,  while  the  newer  groups  of  the 
same  series,  together  with  the  Devonian  or  car- 
boniferous formations,  make  their  appearance  as  we 
proceed  further  westward.  After  having  found 
fossils  in  such  abundance  in  the  corresponding  Silurian 
rocks  of  New  York,  I  was  struck  with  their  absence, 
or  much  greater  rarity,  in  the  inclined  strata  of  these 
mountains,  especially  in  the  oldest  limestones,  or  those 
corresponding  in  age  to  "  the  Trenton  group."  I 
have  before  endeavoured  to  give,  at  p.  92,  an  ideal 
section  of  the  structure  of  tiie  Appalachian  chain,  in 
accordance  with  the  views  of  the  Professors  Rogers, 
and  have  described  the  numerous  arches  and  troughs, 
or  parallel,  anticlinal,  and  synclinal  bends  into  which 
the  strata  are  folded.  Between  these  and  the  ex- 
ternal geographical  features  of  the  country  there  is 
a  manifest  connection  ;  nevertheless,  it  is  necessary 
to  bear  in  mind  that  the  present  outline  of  the  hills 
has  been  due  to  changes  long  subsequent  to  the  era 


CHAIN.         Chap.  xiv. 
id  valleys  of  New 

the  structure  of  the 
gical  conformation, 
^'  B.  and  H.  D. 
P  (Pl.  2)  will  serve 
e  manner  in  which 

zones  of  disturbed 
it  the  surface  uJong 

s  to  be  represented 
ining  in  a  general 

w^'il  be  seen  that 
^e  Silurian  series 
louth-eastern  flank 
^er  groups  of  the 
Devonian  or  car- 
ippearancc  as  we 
cr  having    found 

spending  Silurian 
ith  their  absence, 

cd  strata  of  these 
lestones,  or  those 
nton  group."     j 
'  P-  92,  an  ideal 
lachian  chain,  in 
ofessors  Uo<rcrs  ' 
hos  and  troughs, 
ends  into  which 
•se  and  the  ex- 
'ountry  there  is 
It  IS  necessar}' 
'ine  of  the  hills 
L'ent  to  the  era 


Chap.  XIV.        STRUCTUnE    OF    THE    APPALACHIANS. 


9 


when  the  rocks  acquired  their  principal  flexures  and 
fractures.  The.se  changes  have  consisted  of  the  de- 
nuding operations  of  the  sea,  which  probably  took 
place,  in  great  part  at  least,  during  those  movements 
of  elevation  which,  after  the  period  of  the  New  Red 
Sandstone,  uplifted  the  Appalachian  strata  to  their 
present  level  above  the  ocean. 

To  those  who  are  not  accustomed  to  reflect  on  the 
long  succession  of  natural  events,  often  differing  from 
each  other  greatly  in  kind,  which  have  concurred  to 
produce  a  single  geological  phenomenon,  such  as  a 
mountain  chain,  it  will  always  appear  very  paradoxi- 
cal that  the  structure  of  such  a  chain  is  attributed  in 
great  part  to  the  sinking,  rather  than  to  the  forcing 
upwards,  of  a  portion  of  the  earth's  crust.  I  shall 
add,  therefore,  a  few  words  to  the  brief  remarks 
before  advanced  (p.  98),  in  favour  of  the  theory 
which  attributes  the  folding  of  strata  such  as  those 
of  the  Alleghanies  to  subsidence.  This  hypothesis 
is  simply  a  modification  of  one  very  popular  with  the 
earlier  geologists,  who  ascribed  the  fractured  con- 
dition of  the  most  ancient  rocks  to  the  shrinking  of 
the  supposed  original  fluid  nucleus  of  the  planet,  it 
being  assumed  that  the  earth  passed  gradually  from 
a  state  of  fusion  by  heat  to  a  solid  condition.  It  was 
truly  remarked,  that  during  the  process  of  congela- 
tion and  contraction,  the  incumbent  strata,  or  those 
first  solidified,  would  sink  and  accommodate  them- 
selves to  a  narrower  area,  namely,  the  circumference 
of  a  spheroid  of  smaller  diameter,  and,  according  to 
their  different  degrees  of  pliability  or  hardness,  the 
beds  would  be  bent  or  broken. 

When  this  theory  was  first  propounded,  all  the 


:,« 


I 


•j 


.iL 


10 


ORICIN    AND    AUE 


Chap.  xiv. 


disturbances  of  the  rocks  were  referred  to  a  remote 
geological  era,  and  supposed  to  have  been  nearly 
simultaneous.  We  have  now  ascertained  that,  on 
the  contrary,  they  have  been  produced  at  a  great 
variety  of  successive  epochs,  and  that  some  mountain 
chains  are  very  modern  in  the  earth's  history  in  com- 
parison with  others.  Nevertheless,  the  hypothesis 
may  in  a  limited  sense  be  quite  sound,  for  we  may 
imagine  one  part  after  another  of  the  subjacent 
nucleus,  underlying  the  thin  coating  or  crust  which 
we  explore  geologically,  to  be  melted  by  volcanic 
heat,  and,  after  expansion,  to  cool  and  become  again 
consolidated  and  collapse.  The  rocks  would  undergo 
some  disturbance  when  they  were  first  uplifted,  but 
when  the  heat  was  withdrawn,  and  contraction  took 
place,  there  would  be  a  still  greater  amount  of  dis- 
location, crumpling,  and  folding  of  the  beds.  All 
the  elaborate  mechanical  explanations  resorted  to  in 
illustration  of  the  doctrine  of  a  general  contraction, 
and  a  diminution  in  the  size  of  the  entire  planet,  may 
be  applicable  to  the  phenomena  of  strata,  whether  in 
plains  or  mountains,  which  have  at  successive  periods 
become  contorted  within  limited  areas.  We  have 
only  to  substitute  the  partial  liquefaction  of  the 
interior  of  the  earth  at  moderate  depths  for  the  pri- 
mitive fusion  of  the  entire  incandescent  nucleus,  and 
to  suppose  that  each  local  development  of  subter- 
ranean heat  was  followed  by  refrigeration,  and  we 
then  discover  a  cause  fully  adequate  to  produce  the 
fracture,  plication,  and  lateral  pressure  of  rocks,  at 
as  many  successive  periods  of  the  past,  as  the  facts 
now  established  in  geology  require. 
Nearly  all  mountain  chains  can  now  be  shown  to 


Chap. 


xtv. 


ferred  to  a  remote 
have  been  nearly 
certained  that,  on 
diacod  at  a  great 
>at  some  mountain 
h's  history  in  coni- 
s,  the  hypothesis 
und,  for  we  may 
of  the  subjacent 
g  or  crust  which 
Ited   by  volcanic 
nd  become  again 
ks  would  undergo 
first  uplifted,  but 
contraction  took 
r  amount  of  dis- 
'  the  beds.     All 
is  resorted  to  in 
eral  contraction, 
itire  planet,  may 
rata,  whether  in 
ccessive  periods 
eas.     We  have 
'faction  of  the 
)ths  for  the  pri- 
nt nucleus,  and 
«ent  of  subter- 
ration,  and  we 
to  produce  the 
•e  of  rocks,  at 
St,  as  the  facts 

V  bo  shown  to 


Chap  xiv 


or    APrALACHIAlV    CHAIN. 


11 


have  been,  like  the  Appalachians,  of  later  date  than 
the  creation  of  organic  beings.  We  also  know  that, 
at  each  geological  period  characterized  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  distinct  races  of  living  beings,  the  earth's 
surface,  although  for  the  most  part  tranquil,  has  been 
in  rfoine  regions  the  theatre  of  volcanic  eruptions.  It 
is  very  probable  that  the  Silurian,  Devonian,  and 
carboniferous  strata,  which  enter  into  the  compo- 
sition of  the  Appalachians,  underwent  the  principal 
movements  of  upheaval  and  subsidence  to  which  their 
prevailing  structure  is  due,  at  a  time  when  they  were 
still  submerged  beneath  that  ocean  in  which  they 
were  originally  formed, — for  that  they  were  at  first 
marine  deposits  is  testified  by  their  imbedded  corals 
and  shells.  It  is  therefore  certain  that  they  have 
undergone  some  elevation  before  they  arrived  at  their 
present  position.  But  we  cannot  infer  from  this  fact 
that  movements  of  elevation  rather  than  of  subsidence 
have  been  most  effective  in  impressing  upon  them 
their  present  structure.  The  reader  will  observe,  in 
the  section  at  p.  92,  vol.  i.,  that  neaily  horizontal 
beds  of  Newer  Red  Sandstone  (No.  4,  fig.  5)  rest 
unconformably  on  the  inclined  strata  of  the  AUe- 
ghanies.  Hence  he  will  perceive  that  the  last  series 
of  movements  which  upraised  this  continent,  was 
quite  distinct  from  those  prior  movements,  which 
threw  the  ancient  strata  (Nos.  5,  6,  7,  fig.  5)  into 
their  inclined  and  curved  position. 

Having  one  day  entered  a  stage  coach  in  our  pas- 
sage over  these  mountains,  I  conversed  with  two 
Kentucky  farmers  returning  in  high  spirits  from  Bal- 
timore, where  they  had  sold  all  their  mules  and  cattle 
/or  good  prices.      They  were  carrying  back  their 


I 


II  ! 


19 


KKNTIMKY    I'AKMKKH. 


Chap.  xiv. 


money  in  heavy  bags  of  specie,  paper  dollars  being 
no  longer  worthy  of  trust.  They  said  their  crops  of 
grain  had  been  so  heavy  for  several  seasons,  that  it 
would  have  cost  too  much  to  drag  it  over  the  hills 
to  a  market  400  miles  distant,  so  they  had  *'  given 
it  legs  by  turning  it  into  mules."  I  asked  why 
not  horses.  They  said  mules  were  nearly  as  ser- 
viceable, and  longer  lived,  coming  in  for  a  share  of 
the  longevity  of  the  ass.  During  several  days  of 
travelling  in  public  conveyances  on  this  line  of  route, 
we  met  with  persons  in  all  ranks  of  life,  but  with  no 
instance  of  rude  or  coarse  manners. 

Entering  a  cottage  at  Frostburg,  we  talked  with 
the  mother  of  the  family,  surrounded  by  her  children 
and  grandchildren.  She  appeared  prosperous,  had 
left  Ireland  forty  years  before,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, yet  could  not  speak  of  the  old  country  without 
emotion,  saying,  "  she  should  die  happy  could  she 
but  once  more  see  the  Cove  of  Cork."  Her  children 
will  be  more  fortunate,  as  their  early  associations  are 
all  American. 

Vv'  V  passed  many  waggons  of  emigrants  from  Penn- 
sylvania, of  German  origin,  each  encumbered  with  a 
huge  heavy  mahogany  press,  or  "  schrank,"  which 
had  once,  perhaps,  come  from  Westphalia.  These 
antique  pieces  of  furniture  might  well  contain  the 
pcnatcs  of  these  poor  people,  or  be  themselves  their 
household  gods,  as  they  seem  to  be  as  religiously  pre- 
served. Our  companions,  the  two  farmers  from  Ken- 
tucky before  mentioned,  shook  their  heads,  remark- 
ing, "  that  most  of  them  would  go  back  again  to 
Pennsylvania,  after  spending  all  their  money  in  the 
West ;  for  the  old  people  will  pine  for  their  former 


1 


;hh. 


Chap.  xiv. 


Chap.  xiv. 


l'i;miikki.and  ooai.   field. 


13 


paper  dollars  being 
y  said  their  crops  of 
oral  seasons,  that  it 
rag  it  over  the  hills 
30  they  had  "  given 
-s."      I  asked  why 
vore  nearly  as  ser- 
ng  in  for  a  share  of 
ing  several  days  of 
on  this  line  of  route, 
I  of  life,  but  with  no 
r.s. 

"g,  we  talked  with 
ded  by  her  children 
ed  prosperous,  had 
It  the  age  of  seven- 
3ld  country  without 
ie  happy  could  she 
^rk."  Her  children 
irly  associations  are 

nigrants  from  Penn- 
encumbered  with  a 
"schrank,"  which 
^^estphalia.     These 
t  well  contain  the 
3C  themselves  their 
)  as  religiously  prc- 
farmers  from  Kcn- 
eir  heads,  romaik- 
?o  back  again  to 
heir  money  in  the 
e  for  their  former 


homes,  and  persuade  the  younger  ones  to  return  wi  ^ 
them." 

I  found  some  of  the  iron  mines  near  Frostburg  i 
a  bankrupt  state,  and  met  a  long  train  of  luggage 
waggons  conveying  the  families  of  the  work-people 
to  new  settlements  in  the  West.  The  disappointed 
speculators  are  clamouring  for  a  tariff  to  ju'otcct  their 
trade  against  English  competition.  When  I  urged 
the  usual  arguments  in  favour  of  free  trade,  I  was 
amused  to  perceive  how  the  class  interests  of  my 
new  companions  had  overcome  the  usual  love  of 
equality,  which  displays  itself  in  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States.  One  of  the  superintendents  of  the 
mines  expressed  surprise  that  I  should  have  gone 
through  so  many  States,  and  not  grown  tired  of  the 
dull  mediocrity  of  income  which  mere  land  under  the 
custom  of  equal  division  among  children  produced! 
"  Why  limit  our  civilisation  and  refinement  to  small 
farmers,  who  expend  their  surplus  gains  in  tobacco 
and  lawsuits,  and  can  never  make  ample  fortunes, 
such  as  spring  from  manufacturing  and  commercial 
industry  ?" 

The  iron  and  coal  mines  near  Frostburg  are  well 
worthy  of  examination.  The  principal  coal  scam  is 
ten  feet  thick,  besides  six  feet  of  incumbent  and  less 
pure  carbonaceous  matter,  the  coal  bituminous,  though 
containing  less  volatile  matter  (oxygen,  hydrogen, 
and  nitrogen),  than  farther  west  on  the  Ohio.  Ac- 
cording to  the  analysis  of  my  friend  Dr.  Percy,  the 
quantity  of  gaseous  matter,  as  compared  to  the  carbon 
and  ash,  is  only  in  the  proportion  of  9i  per  cent,  in 
the  specimens  of  coal  which  I  obtained  here  from  the 

best  seam,  whereas  the  proportion  was  exactly  twice 
VOL.  n.  3 


I 


14 


(MrMilKKLANI)    COM.    FIELD. 


Chap.  xiv. 


as  great  in  tlic  conl  afterwards  examined  by  mo 
farther  west  ut  Pome  roy  on  the  Ohio,  confirming  th' 
theory  lirst  iidvanced  by  Mr.  H.  D.  Uogers,  of  the 
progrossivo  debituininization  of  coal  as  we  advance 
from  west  to  east,  or  from  the  horizontal  coal  litl<  s 
in  the  plains  of  the  Ohio  to  the  anthracite  of  Penns\  i- 
vania.     (See  above,  pp.  89  and  249,  vol.  i.) 

The  coal  measures  of  this  part  of  Maryland  arc 
usually  called  the  Cumberland  coal  field,  from  Fort 
Cumberland,  famous  for  the  wars  of  the  English  with 
the  French  and  Indians,  in  which  General  Washing- 
ton took  part,  before  the  American  Revolution.  The 
carboniferous  strata  consisting,  as  usual,  of  shale,  grit, 
sandstone,  limestone,  argillaceous  iron  ore,  and  coal, 
are  arranged  geologically  in  a  trough,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  long,  from  north  to  south,  and  from  three 
to  four  miles  broad.  Professor  Silliman  and  his  son, 
who  surveyed  them,  have  aptly  compared  the  shape 
of  the  successive  beds  to  a  great  number  of  canoes 
placed  one  within  another.  The  entire  thickness  of 
the  coal  measures  is  about  1500  feet,  including  the 
fundamental  quart zose  sandstone,  called  by  the  miners 
here,  as  in  England,  the  millstone  grit,  which  is  about 
forty  feet  thick,  and  contains  small  pebbles,  some- 
times as  big  as  nuts.  These  pebbles,  therefore,  are 
very  diminutive  in  comparison  with  those  before  men- 
tioned as  occurring  in  the  same  rock  in  the  anthracite 
basins  of  north-eastern  Pennsylvania,  where  some  of 
them  were  stated  to  be  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg. 
The  conglomerate  of  that  region,  it  will  be  remem- 
bered, was  1500  feet  in  thickness,  instead  of  forty 
feet  as  at  Frostburg,  showing  the  reduction  of  size  in 


^ 


I'lEr.D. 


Chap. 


XIV. 


s  examined  by  mo 
Mo,  confirming  tin. 
•  D.  Uogcrs,  of  the 
coal  as  we  advance 
rizontal  coal  iivUg 

thraciteorpcnnsyl- 
4»,  vol.  i.) 

t  or  Maryland  are 
"I  field,  from  Fort 
of  the  English  with 
General  Washing- 
lievolntion.     The 
usual,  of  shaJc,  grit, 
iron  ore,  and  coal, 
ugh,  about  twcnty- 
h,  and  from  three 
lliman  and  his  son, 
ompared  the  shape 
number  of  canoes 
entire  thickness  of 
feet,  including  the 
ailed  by  the  miners 
rit,  which  is  about 
ill  pebbles,  some- 
Ics,  therefore,  are 
those  before  men- 
t  in  the  anthracite 
a,  where  some  of 
as  a  hen's  nrrg, 
t  will  be  rcmem- 
instead  of  forty 
duction  of  size  in 


Chap.  XIV.     htium.\kia  a.\u  m.munk  uiiki.lh. 


15 


the  formations  of  mec-hanical  origin  as  wc  proceed 
westward.     (See  above,  pp.  84  and  80,  vol.  i.) 

The  scams  of  coal  at  Frostburg  arc  numerous,  there 
being  three  workable,  besides  nine  or  ten  smaller 
beds.  Under  several  of  these,  I  found  clays  with 
Stigmuria,  usually,  as  elsewhere,  unaccompanied  by 
any  other  fossil  plants.  At  one  spot,  however,  on 
the  north-eastern  confines  of  the  coal  basin,  about 
fifty  feet  abov<^  the  millstone  grit,  I  saw  a  bed  of  coal, 
four  feet  thick,  resting  on  a  blue  clay  containing  Stig- 
maria.  This  clay  was  twenty  feet  thick,  and  as 
usual  without  slaty  texture,  and  the  rootlets,  com- 
monly called  leaves,  radiated  in  all  directions  from 
the  stems  of  the  Stigmaria.  Dispersed  plentifully 
through  the  same  clay,  I  found  the  leaves  of  two 
species  of  Pecopteris,  and  an  Asterophyllite,  the  only 
instance,  in  several  hundreds  which  I  examined  in 
the  United  States,  where  ferns  and  other  coal  plants 
were  associated  with  the  Stigmaria,  imbedded  in  its 
natural  position,  and  not  having  been  drifted. 

Higher  in  the  series,  but  still  300  feet  below  the 
principal  coal  seam,  an  interesting  example  occurs  of 
a  black  shale  full  of  marine  shells,  resting  on  a  seam 
of  coal  about  three  feet  thick.  When  we  have  once 
embraced  the  doctrine  of  the  origin  of  pure  coal  from 
terrestrial  plants,  which  grew  like  peat  in  the  spots 
where  we  now  find  them,  the  contact  of  an  incumbent 
regular  bed  of  black  bituminous  slate,  ten  or  twelve 
feet  thick,  abounding  in  sea  shells  perfectly  preserved, 
is  highly  interesting.  Captain  George  Green,  super- 
intendent of  the  mines  here,  kindly  presented  me  with 
a  collection  of  these  shells,  which  are  referable  to  no 
less  than  seventeen  species.   Some  arc  identical  with, 


nil 


1'  f-- 


i  i- 


16 


WIDE    RANGE    OP 


Chap.  xiv. 


and  almost  all  the  rest  have  a  near  affinity  to,  species 
found  in  the  Glasgow  and  other  British  coal  mea- 
sures. Among  the  rest  is  Bellerophon  Urii,  and  two 
others  of  the  same  genus  ;  Euomphalus  carhonariuSf 
several  species  of  Nucula,  one  of  Lnxonema,  and  a 
Producta,  allied  to  P.  scahricula. 

Among  the  plants  occurring  usually  in  the  shaiy 
roof  or  ceiling  of  the  coal,  are  many  identical  with 
European  species,  such  as  Calamites  dubius  and  C. 
nodosus,  Pecopteris  arhorescens,  and  two  other  spe- 
cies in  ironstone  shale,  both  in  fructification ;  also 
Lepidodendron  tetragonum,  L.  aculeatum,  Neuropteris 
cordata,  N.  gigantea,  Sigillaria  reniformis,  Caulop- 
teris,  Stigmaria,  AsterophylUtes  tuberculata,  A.folio- 
sa,  and  many  others. 

I  have  alluded  to  two  species  of  ferns  (Pecopteris) 
in  fructification.  One  of  these,  abundant  in  the  Jack 
Porter  mine,  appears  to  agree  with  the  European 
Heinitelites  Trevirani  of  Goppert.  It  agrees  in  its 
venation  and  the  position  of  its  sori  with  the  recent 
subgenus  Goniopteris.  When  we  consider  how 
rapidly  the  fructification  decays  on  the  back  of  the 
leaves  of  ferns,  it  is  wonderful  to  see  them  thus  petri- 
fied. The  resemblance,  moreover,  of  some  of  the 
common  American  and  European  coal  plants,  such  as 
Pecopteris  lonchitica,  and  P.  Serlii,  to  ferns  now 
living,  such  as  Pteris  caudata,  and  P.  aquilina,  is 
well  worthy  of  notice.  The  leaves  would  be  undis- 
tinguishable  if  the  veins  in  the  fossil  species  were  not 
finer,  closer  together,  and  more  perpendicular  to  the 
mid-rib,  than  in  the  recent  ferns. 

The  specific  agreement  of  so  many  of  the  Ameri- 
can coal   plants  with    European  fossils  implies  a 


l„iL. 


Of  Chap.  xiv. 

3ar  affinity  to,  species 
Jr  British  coal  mea- 
'ophon  Urii,  and  two 
iphalus  carhonariuSf 
of  Lnxonema,  and  a 

usually  in  the  shaiy 
many  identical  with 
nifes  duhius  and  C. 
and  two  other  spe- 
fructification ;  also 
leatum,  Neuropteris 
^eniformis,  Caulop- 
cbercuiata,  A.folio- 

f  ferns  (Pecopteris) 
undant  in  the  Jack 
^ith  the  European 
>     It  agrees  in  its 
3ri  with  the  recent 
^e    consider    how 
n  the  back  of  the 
'■e  them  thus  petri- 
1%  of  some  of  the 
oal  plants,  such  as 
ui,   to  ferns  now 
d  P.  aquilina,  is 
s  would  be  undis- 
species  were  not 
•pendicular  to  the 

ny  of  the  Ameri- 
fossils  implies  a 


Chap.  xiv. 


CARBONIFEROUS    FLORA. 


17 


greater  uniformity  in  the  carboniferous  flora,  through- 
out a  large  part  of  the  globe,  than  appears  to  have 
prevailed  in  the  co-existing  conchological  fauna,  so 
far  as  it  is  known  at  present.  Those  English  natu- 
ralists who  assisted  me  in  naming  my  American 
plants,  came  to  the  opinion  that  two  thirds  of  them 
are  the  same  as  species  well  known  in  the  coal  meas- 
ures on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  M.  Adolphe 
Brongniart  informs  me  that  he  has  arrived  at  the 
same  result,  the  general  accuracy  of  which  cannot,  I 
think,  be  impugned  by  questioning  the  botanical  de- 
terminations arrived  at  from  such  characters,  as  the 
venations  of  fern  leaves,  or  the  markings  left  by  the 
attachment  of  fronds  on  the  bark  of  such  trees  as  Si- 
gillaria  and  Lepidodendron.  If  the  prevailing  vege- 
tation of  two  distant  parts  of  the  globe  were  now  to 
become  fossil,  the  more  common  species  would  no- 
where present  so  uniform  a  character,  if  we  confined 
our  comparison  simply  to  corresponding  organs, 
namely,  the  leaves,  bark,  fruits,  the  internal  woody 
fibre,  whether  cellular  or  vascular,  and  the  roots,  if, 
indeed,  the  Stigmariae  be  of  that  nature.  As  to  the 
ferns,  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  that,  although  in  the 
existing  state  of  the  globe,  they  are  less  cosmopolite 
than  lichens  and  mosses,  there  are  some  of  them,  nev- 
ertheless, which  h.ave  an  extremely  wide  range,  such 
us  DidymochlcBna  sinuosa,  common  to  Brazil,  Java, 
and  Manilla;  and  Polypodium  incanum,  to  Brazil 
and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  The  recent  ferns  of 
North  America,  according  to  Pursh's  Flora,  are  sixty- 
nine  m  number,  of  which  fifteen,  according  to  the 
same  authority,  are  natives  of  Europe.     It  is  also 

worth  remarking,  that  very  few  of  the  genera  of  Hv- 

3* 


18 


DENUDATION. 


Chap.  xiv. 


I 


iug  I'erns  «irc  confined  to  one  particular  country, 
or  even  to  one  continent.  The  larger  genera  appear 
to  have  species  in  nearly  all  the  regions  of  the  world, 
except  the  colder  latitudes.  The  mere  generic  re- 
semblance, therefore,  of  the  fossil  ferns  of  North 
America  and  Europe,  would  not  have  been  remarka- 
ble, as  indicating  a  different  geographical  distribution 
from  that  now  prevailing. 

While  at  Frostburg,  I  rode  one  day  on  horseback, 
with  Captain  Green,  superintendent  of  some  of  the 
mines  there,  and  followed  the  course  of  Jenning's 
Run,  returning  by  Cumberland.  In  this  route,  we 
saw  a  fine  section  of  the  coal  measures,  the  underly- 
ing grit  or  conglomerate,  and  a  great  thickness  (5000 
or  6000  feet)  of  still  older  Devonian  and  upper  Silu- 
rian strata.  In  those  ridges,  along  the  crest  of  which 
the  yellow  and  white  quartzose  carboniferous  grit 
crops  out,  the  monotonous  outline  was  occasionally 
broken  by  outliers  of  the  rock  twenty  feet  and  up- 
wards in  height,  remaining  in  situ  with  their  perpen- 
dicular sides  and  sharp  angles  (see  fig.  7),  and  show- 
Fig.  7. 


Outlier  of  qiiartiMe  grit  ^fcet  high. 


c. 


Chap.  xiv. 


i  particular  country, 
larger  genera  appear 
■  regions  of  the  world, 
'he  mere  generic  re- 
bssil  ferns  of  North 
t  have  been  rcmarka- 
graphical  distribution 

ne  day  on  horseback, 
dent  of  some  of  the 

course  of  Jcnning's 
.  In  this  route,  we 
ensures,  the  underly- 
great  thickness  (5000 
nian  and  upper  Silu- 
ng  the  crest  of  which 
e  carboniferous  grit 
line  was  occasionally 

twenty  feet  and  up- 
tu  with  their  perpen- 
'ee  fig.  7),  and  show- 


ChAP.  XIV. 


SKUNK. 


19 


ing  clearly  that  large  portions  of  the  strata  had  been 
removed  from  the  tops  of  the  hills  as  well  as  from 
the  valleys. 

I  was  surprised,  in  the  course  of  our  ride  along  the 
bottom  of  a  wooded  valley,  to  find  the  air  infected  far 
and  wide  with  a  fetid  odour,  which,  my  companion 
informed  me,  proceeded  from  a  skunk.  The  animal, 
he  supposed,  might  be  half  a  mile  or  more  to  wind- 
ward of  our  path. 


'1 


ct  high. 


!  if 


il!l 


m ' 


I  i  ! 


20 


ALLEGHANY    MOUNTAINS. 


CHAP.  XV. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Alleghany  Mountains. —  Union. — Horizontal  Coal  Formation. — 
Brownsville  on  the  Jlonongahela. — Facilities  of  working  Coal, 
— J\''avigab/e  Rivers. —  Great  future  Resources  of  the  Country.-" 
Pittsburg. — Illinois  Coal  Field. — Fossil  Indian  Corn. — Indian 
Mounds  near  fVhceling.-^  General  Harrison  on  their  high 
Antiquity. — Dr.  Morton  on  the  aboriginal  Indians. — Remarks 
on  the  Civilisation  of  the  Mexicans  and  other  Tribes. — Mari- 
etta.—  Silicified  Trees  or  Psarolitcs  of  Ohio. — Coal  of  Pome- 
Toy.  — JVew  Settlemen ts. — Cincinnati. 

After  leaving  the  small  mining  village  of  Frostburg, 
which  is  about  1500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
we  continued  to  ascend  and  descend  a  sucr^ession  of 
steep  ridges  till  we  came  to  the  summit  level,  where 
the  climate  was  sensibly  colder,  and  the  oaks  and 
other  trees  still  leafless.  At  Smithfield  we  crossed  a 
fiver  flowing  westward,  or  towards  the  Monongahela 
and  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  soon  afterwards  passed  the 
grave  of  General  Braddock,  and  followed  the  line  of 
his  disastrous  march  towards  Fort  Duquesne,  now 
Pittsburg. 

At  length  we  reached  Laurel  Hill,  so  cnlled  from 
its  rhododendrons,  the  last  of  the  great  parallel  ridges 
of  the  Alleghanies.  From  this  height  we  looked 
down  upon  a  splendid  prospect,  the  low  undulating 
country  to  the  west,  appearing  spread  out  far  and 
wide  before  us,  and  glowing  with  the  rays  of  the 
setting  sun.  At  our  feet  lay  the  small  town  of 
Union,  its  site  being  marked  by  a  thin  cloud  of  smoke, 
which  pleased  us  by  recalling  to  our  minds  a  familiar 
feature  in  the  English  landscape,  not  seen  in  our  toui 


.L--=4 


:1 


NTAINS. 


CHAP.  XV. 


Chap.  xv. 


CROSSING    THE    A1.I.ROHAN<El.. 


21 


XV. 

izontal  Coal  Formation.— . 
Facilities  of  working  Coal. 
Resources  of  the  Country.-^ 
ml  Indian  Corn.— Indian 
Harrison  on  their  high 
iginal  Indians. —Remarks 
and  other  Tribes.— Mari- 
of  Ohio.— Coal  of  Pome- 
l. 

village  of  Frostburg, 

the  level  of  the  sea, 
cend  a  succession  of 

summit  level,  where 
',  and  the  oaks  and 
ithfield  we  crossed  a 
rds  the  Monongahela 
fterwards  passed  the 

followed  the  line  of 
''ort  Duquesne,  now 

Hill,  so  called  from 
great  parallel  ridges 
height  we  looked 
the  low  undulating 
spread  out  far  and 
ith  the  rays  of  the 
the  small   town  of 
hin  cloud  of  smoke, 
•ur  minds  a  familiar 
lot  seen  in  our  toui 


through  the  regions  where  they  bum  anthracite,  to 
the  east  of  the  AUeghanies. 

After  enjoying  the  view  for  some  time  we  began 
to  descend  rapidly,  and  at  every  step  saw  the  forest, 
BO  leafless  and  wintry  a  few  hours  before,  recover  its 
foliage,  till  the  trees  and  the  climate  spoke  again  of 
spring.  I  had  passed  several  times  over  the  Pyre- 
nees and  the  Alps,  and  witnessed  the  changes  of 
■vegetation  between  the  opposite  flanks,  or  between 
the  summits  and  base  of  those  mountains ;  but  this 
was  the  first  time  I  had  ciossed  a  great  natural  bar- 
rier, and  found  on  the  other  side  people  speaking  the 
»ame  language,  and  having  precisely  the  same  laws 
and  political  institutions. 

The  parallel  ridges  before  alluded  to,  between 
Frostburg  and  Union,  were  formed  partly  of  red 
sandstones  (Old  Red),  but  chiefly  of  white  grit,  the 
lowest  member  of  the  carboniferous  group,  each 
flexure  or  arch  opening  out  and  flattening  as  we 
went  westward,  in  the  manner  explained  in  my  de- 
scription of  the  section  at  page  92,  Vol.  I.,  the  strata 
at  the  same  time  becoming  more  and  more  hori- 
zontal. 

At  the  town  of  Union,  which  may  be  said  to  lie  at 
the  western  foot  of  the  mountains,  I  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  seeing  coal  exposed  to  view  in  an  open  quarry 
of  building  stone.  The  coal  seam  was  three  and  a 
half  feet  thick,  with  an  intervening  layer,  as  usual, 
between  it  and  the  freestone  of  dark  slate  or  shale, 
four  feet  thick.  When  traced  farther,  the  shale 
thinned  out  gradually,  and  in  a  neighbouring  quarry, 
about  thirty  yards  distant,  it  gave  place  to  the  yellow 
micaceous  sandstone,  which  then  formed  the  roof  of 


!  H 


I 


ii 


■■  > 


!  II 


S  I 


i       1 


,L-1' 


ABUNDANCE    OF   COAL. 


Chap.  xv. 


the  coal.     These  sandstone  roofs  are  comparatively 
rare  m  America,  as  in  Europe. 

From  Union,  we  went  to  Biownsville  on  the  Mo- 
nongahcla,  a  large  tributary  of  the  Ohio,  where  the 
country  consists  of  coal  measures,  like  those  at 
Union,  both  evidently  belonging  to  the  same  series  as 
those  more  bent  and  curved  beds  at  Frostburg  before 
described.  I  was  truly  astonished,  now  that  I  had 
entered  the  hydrographical  basin  of  the  Ohio,  at  be- 
holding the  richness  of  the  seams  of  coal,  which  ap- 
pear everywhere  on  the  flanks  of  the  hills  and  at  the 
bottom  of  the  valleys,  and  which  are  accessible  in  a 
degree  I  never  witnessed  elsewhere.  The  time  has  not 
yet  arrived,  the  soil  being  still  densely  covered  with 
the  primeval  forest,  and  manufacturing  industry  in  its 
infancy,  when  the  full  value  of  this  inexhaustible 
supply  of  cheap  fuel  can  be  appreciated ;  but  the 
resources  which  it  will  one  day  afford  to  a  region 
capable,  by  its  agricultural  produce  alone,  of  support- 
ing a  large  population,  are  truly  magnificent.  In 
order  to  estimate  the  natural  advantages  of  such  a 
region,  we  must  reflect  how  three  great  navigable 
rivers,  such  as  the  Monongahcla,  Alleghany,  and 
Ohio,  intersect  it,  and  lay  open  on  their  banks  the 
level  seams  of  coal.  I  found  at  Brownsville  a  bed 
ten  feet  thick  of  good  bituminous  coal,  commonly 
called  the  Pittsburg  seam,  breaking  put  in  the  river 
cliffs  near  the  water's  edge.  I  made  a  hasty  sketch 
of  its  appearance  from  the  bridge,  looking  down  the 
river,  in  which  the  reader  will  see  (a,  PI.  VI.)  the 
coal,  ten  feet  thick,  c:)vered  by  carbonaceous  shale  (6), 
and  this  again  by  micaceous  sandstone(r).  Horizon- 
tal galleries  may  be  driven  everywhere  at  very  slight 


70AL.  Chap.  xv. 

fs  are  comparatively 

wnsville  on  the  Mo- 

the  Ohio,  where  the 

sures,  like    those  at 

to  the  same  series  as 

s  at  Frostburg  before 

hed,  now  that  I  had 

in  of  the  Ohio,  at  be- 

[is  of  coal,  which  ap- 

>f  the  hills  and  at  the 

li  are  accessible  in  a 

3re.  The  time  has  not 

lensely  covered  with 

sturing  industry  in  its 

)f  this  inexhaustible 

ipprcciatcd ;  but  the 

afford  to  a  region 

ice  alone,  of  support- 

y  magnificent.     In 

vantages  of  such  a 

ree  great  navigable 

a,   Alleghany,  and 

on  their  banks  the 

Brownsville  a  bed 

us  coal,  commonly 

ng  put  in  the  river 

nade  a  hasty  sketch 

;,  looking  down  the 

see  {a,  PI.  VI.)  the 

jonacGons  shale  (6), 

itonc(o).     Horizon- 

I'here  at  very  slight 


If 

I: 


I 


1^ 


n 


\ 


'■-v 


f^HAr.  XV. 


OHIO    COAL-FIEI.n. 


25 


(^pense,  and  so  worked  as  to  drain  themselves,  while 
|he  cars,  laden  with  coal  and  attached  to  each  other, 
l^dc  down,  as  shown  in  the  plate,  on  a  railway,  so 
if  to  deliver  their  burden  into  barges  moored  to  the 
liver's  bank.  The  same  seam  is  seen  at  a  distance, 
on  the  right  bank  (at  a),  and  may  be  followed  the 
whole  way  to  Pittsburgh  fifty  miles  distant.  As  it  is 
nearly  horizontal,  while  the  river  descends  it  crops 
out  at  a  continually  increasing,  but  never  at  an  incon- 
venient, height  above  the  Monongahela.  Below  the 
great  bed  of  coal  at  Brownsville  is  a  fire-clay  eight- 
een inches  thick,  and,  below  this,  several  beds  of 
limestone,  below  which  again  are  other  seams.  I 
llltve  also  shown  in  my  sketch  another  layer  of  work- 
tj^fiie  coal  (at  d^  d),  which  breaks  out  on  the  slope  of 
j^pe  hills  at  a  greater  height.  Almost  every  proprie- 
$0[  can  open  a  coal-pit  on  his  own  land,  and,  the 
Ijj^atification  being  very  regular,  they  may  calculate 
yff}ih  precision  the  depth  at  which  the  coal  may  be 
•iiwon. 

So  great  are  the  facilities  for  procuring  this  excel- 
lent fuel,  that  already  it  is  found  profitable  to  convey 
it  in  flat-bottomed  boats  for  the  use  of  steamships  at 
New  Orleans,  1,100  miles  distant,  in  spite  of  the  dense 
Infests  bordering  the  intermediate  river-plains,  where 
t||iber  may  be  obtained  at  the  cost  of  felling  it  But 
nci  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  importance  of  these 
American  coal-seams,  until  we  reflect  on  the  prodi- 
gious area  over  which  they  are  continuous.  The 
boundaries  of  the  Pittsburg  seam  have  been  deter- 
mined with  considerable  accuracy  by  the  Professors 
•  Rogers  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  Ohio,  and  they 
have  found  the  elliptical  area  which  it  qccupies  to  be 


1 


E 


! 


86 


ILMNOIf)    COAL-FIRLD. 


Chap.  xy. 


225  miles  in  its  longest  diameter,  while  its  maximum 
breadth  is  about  one  hundred  miles,  its  superficial 
extent  being  about  fourteen  thousand  square  miles.* 

In  the  accompanying  map  (PI.  II.),  the  reader  will 
see  a  sketch  of  the  outline  of  what  has  been  called 
the  Appalachian  coal-fiold,  the  vast  area  of  which 
was  before  alluded  to  at  p.  88,  Vol.  I.,  as  extending 
for  a  distance  of  720  miles  from  N.  E.  to  S.  W.,  its 
greatest  width  being  about  180  miles.  This  out 
line  must  be  regarded  as  giving  a  mere  approxi- 
mation to  its  true  limits,  but  when  the  State  Surveys 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia  are  published,  the  ex- 
tent of  this  great  coal-field  will  be  most  accurately 
delineated.  While  alluding  to  the  vast  area  of  these 
carboniferous  formations  in  the  United  States,  so  rich 
in  productive  coal,  I  may  call  attention  to  the  Illinois 
coal-field,  the  area  of  which  has  been  also  laid  down 
on  the  map  (PI.  II.),  reduced  from  a  large  map  of  the 
Western  States  executed  by  Mr.  Dale  Owen  of  In- 
diana, and  of  which  he  has  liberally  given  me  the 
free  use  for  the  present  publication.  That  coal  field, 
comprehending  parts  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ken- 
tucky, is  not  much  inferior  in  dimensions  to  the  whole 
of  England,  and  consists  of  horizontal  strata,  with 
numerous  rich  seams  of  bituminous  coal.  Its  posi- 
tion relatively  to  the  Appalachian  coal-field  may  be 
seen  in  the  western  part  of  the  section  at  page  93, 
Vol.  I.f 

At  the  edge  of  the  left  bank  of  the  Monongahela. 
we  collected  shells  of  many  species  of  freshwater 


•  Trana.  of  Amer.  Geol.  1840,  p.  446. 
t  See  also  Description  of  Maps. 


FIK1J>. 


Chap.  xy. 


;iiAP.  XV. 


MONONQAHELA    RIVKR. 


97 


cr,  while  its  maximum 
d  miles,  its  superficial 
lousand  square  miles.* 
PI.  II.),  the  reader  will 
what  has  been  called 
he  vast  area  of  which 
8,  Vol.  I.,  as  extending 
•om  N.  E.  to  S.  W.,  its 
180  miles.     This  out 
iving  a  mere  approxi- 
^hcn  the  State  Surveys 
L  are  published,  the  ex- 
vill  be  most  accurately 
o  the  vast  area  of  these 
le  United  States,  so  rich 
i  attention  to  the  Illinois 
las  been  also  laid  down 
from  a  large  map  of  the 
Mr.  Dale  Owen  of  In- 
liberally  given  me  the 
ation.     That  coal  field, 
lois,  Indiana,  and  Ken- 
Id  imensions  to  the  whole 
horizontal  strata,  with 
iiinous  coal.     Its  posi- 
;hian  coal-field  may  be 
he  section  at  page  92, 

|k  of  the  Monongahela, 
species  of  freshwater 

16. 


iinuscles  {ITnio),  and  were  much  interested  in  finding 
itfiem  all  different  from  those  which  we  had  previously 
iinet  with  in  the  Connecticut,  Delaware,  and  other 
ijlistern  rivers.  We  had  now  in  fact  entered  an  en- 
ifrcly  new  zoological  province,  so  far  as  conchology 
%as  concerned. 

"  May  15,  1842. — We  embarked  at  Brownsville  for 
Pittsburg  in  a  long  narrow  steamer,  which  drew  only 
e^htoen  inches  water,  and  had  a  single  paddle  be- 
hhid  like  the  overshot  wheel  of  a  mill.  It  threw  up 
a  ihower  of  spray  like  a  fountain,  which  had  a  pic- 
turesque effect.  The  iron  works  of  the  machinery 
and  the  furnace  were  all  exposed  to  view,  and  the 
Agincers  were  on  deck  in  a  place  cooled  by  the  free 
^culation  of  air. 

*'  The  wooded  hills  rise  to  the  height  of  from  300  to 
<i50  feet  above  the  river  between  Brownsville  and 
ftttsburg.  (See  PI.  VI.)  The  latter  place  is  situat- 
SiA  at  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  and  Mononga- 
•fcela  rivers,  which  after  their  union  form  the  Ohio.  It 
lira  most  flourishing  town,  and  we  counted  twenty- 
mo large  steamboats  anchored  off  the  wharfs.  From 
^  summit  of  the  hill,  460  feet  high,  on  the  left  bank 
iif  the  Monongahela,  we  had  a  fine  view  of  Pitts- 
Bllrg,  partially  concealed  by  the  smoke  of  its  nume- 
wus  factories.  A  great  many  fine  bridges  span  the 
iNifro  broad  rivers  above  their  junction.  In  the  same 
hill,  I  saw  a  fine  section  of  the  horizontal  coal-mea- 
iferes.  Far  below  the  principal  seam,  and  neai  the 
tevel  of  the  river,  there  is  a  bed  of  coal  a  few  inches 
thick,  resting  on  clay.  Upon  this  coal  are  layers  of 
■hale  and  limestone,  in  which  I  found  the  same  Bel- 
hrophon  allied  to,  or  identical  with,  B.  Urii,  and  the 


pp 


M 


F088IL    INDIAN    CORN. 


Chap.  iv. 


same  Leptaina  sarcinulata^  Spirifer,  allied  to  S.  Urii, 
and  other  shells,  which  occur  at  Frostburg,  together 
with  Encrinus,  and  a  hmhW  coral. 

The  steamboats  on  the  Ohio  cannot  bo  depended 
upon  for  punctual  departure  at  the  appointed  hour 
like  those  of  the  Hudson  or  Delaware.  I  therefore 
took  places  in  a  coach  for  Wheeling,  and  crossed  a 
low  and  nearly  level  country,  where  I  was  struck 
with  the  absence  of  drift  and  boulders,  so  common  in 
the  north.  The  carboniferous  strata  were  exposed 
on  the  banks  of  every  small  streamlet,  and  not  con- 
cealed by  any  superficial  covering.  On  reaching  one 
of  those  innumerable  towns  to  which,  as  if  for  the 
sake  of  confusion,  the  name  of  Washington  has  been 
given,  I  received  the  agreeable  intelligence  that, 
instead  of  travelling  to  Wheeling  before  sunset,  I 
must  wait  till  another  mail  came  up  in  the  middle  of 
the  night.  I  was  very  indignant  at  this  breach  of 
promise,  but  was  soon  appeased  by  the  good-natured 
landlord  and  postmaster,  who  addressed  me  by  the 
conciliatory  appellation  of  **  Major,"  and  assured  me 
that  the  new  post-office  regulation  was  as  inconvenient 
to  him  as  it  could  possibly  be  to  us. 

The  next  day  we  embarked  at  Wheeling  on  the 
Ohio  for  Marietta.  I  had  been  requested  by  my 
geological  friends,  when  at  Philadelphia,  to  make 
inquiries  respecting  some  Indian  corn  said  to  have 
been  found  fossil  at  some  depth  in  a  stratified 
deposit  near  Fish  Creek,  a  tributary  of  the  Ohio,  and 
presumed  to  be  of  high  antiquity.  A  proprietor  who 
had  resided  twenty-six  years  near  the  spot,  assured 
me  that  the  corn  occurred  in  an  island  in  the  river, 
at  the  depth  of  no  more  than  two  feet  below  the 


„j0 


■*^ 


CORN. 


Chap,  xv. 


Chap,  xv 


ANCI1:NT    INDIAN    MOUNDS. 


irifer,  allied  to  8.  Urii, 
at  Frostburg,  together 
>ral. 

o  cannot  bo  depended 
it  the  appointed  hour 
)elaware.  I  therefore 
heeling,  and  crossed  a 
r,  where  I  was  struck 
jouldcrs,  so  common  in 
3  strata  were  exposed 
jtreamlet,  and  not  con- 
ring.  On  reaching  one 
to  which,  as  if  for  the 
r  Washington  has  been 
able  intelligence  that, 
3eling  before  sunset,  1 
me  up  in  the  middle  of 
lant  at  this  breach  of 
;d  by  the  good-natured 
)  addressed  me  by  the 
[ajor,"  and  assured  me 
ion  was  as  inconvenient 
:o  us. 

at  Wheeling  on  the 
een  requested  by  my 
Philadelphia,  to  make 
an  corn  said  to  have 
depth  in  a  stratified 
utary  of  the  Ohio,  and 
ty.  A  proprietor  who 
near  the  spot,  assured 
an  island  in  the  river, 
two  feet  below  the 


iUrface  of  the  alluvial  soil.     It  consisted  of  parched 
•orn,  such  as  the  Indians  often  buried  when  alarmed, 
and  in  the  present  year  the  Ohio  had  risen  so  high  as 
to  inundate  the  very  spot,  and  throw  down  several 
i"esh  layers  of  mud  upon  the  site  of  the  corn. 
.  Five  miles  below  Wheeling,  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Ohio,  is   a   terrace  of  stratified   sand  and  gravel, 
having  its  surface  about  seventy-five  feet  above  the 
Ohio.     On  this  terrace  is  seen  a  large  Indian  mound. 
Ob  our  arriving  at  Marietta,  I  learnt  from  Dr.  HiU 
dreth  that  skeletons  had  been  found  in  it  at  various 
depths,  together  with  pipe-heads  and  other  ornaments. 
Their  workmanship  implies  a  more  advanced  state  of 
the  arts  than  that  attained  by  the  rude  Indians  who 
inhabited  this  fertile  valley  when   it  was  first  dis- 
covered by  the  white  man.     There  are  many  other 
similar  mounds  in  the  valleys  of  the  Ohio  and   its 
tributaries,  but  no  tradition  concerning  their  origin. 
One  of  these,  near  Marietta,  in  which  human  bones 
were  dug  up,  must  be  more  than  eight  centuries  old, 
for  Dr.  Hildreth  counted  eight  hundred   rings  of 
annual  growth  in  a  tree  which  grew  upon  it.     But, 
however  high  may  be  the  historical  antiquity  of  the 
mounds,  they  stand  on  alluvial  terraces  which  are 
•vidently  of  a  very  modern  geological  date.      In 
America,  as  in  Europe,  the  oldest  monuments  of 
human  labour  are  as  things  of  yesterday  in  com- 
parison with  the  effects  of  physical  causes  which 
were  in  operation  after  the  existing  continents  had 
acquired  the  leading  features  of  hill  and  valley,  river 
and  lake,  which  now  belong  to  them.     Dr.  Locke  of 
Cincinnati  has  shown  that  one  of  the  earth-works, 
enclosing  about  one  hundred  acres  on  the  great 


u 


ItO 


ANTraUITY    OP 


Chap.  xv. 


i;f ! 


il 


I 


Miami,  although  nearly  entire,  has  been  overflowed 
in  a  few  places,  and  partially  obliterated.  He  infers 
from  this  and  other  facts,  that  these  mounds  ex- 
tending to  high- water  mark,  and  liable  to  be  oc- 
casionally submerged,  were  constructed  when  the 
streams  had  already  reached  their  present  levels,  or, 
in  other  words,  their  channels  have  not  been  deepened 
in  the  last  1000  or  2000  years.* 

The  arguments  for  assigning  a  very  remote  period 
to  the  Indian  antiquities  above  alluded  to,  have  been 
stated  with  great  force  and  clearness  by  General 
Harrison,  late  President  of  the  United  States,  who 
was  practically  versed  in  woodcraft,  and  all  that 
relates  to  the  clearing  of  new  lands.  In  his  essay  on 
the  aborigines  of  the  Ohio  valley,t  he  states,  that 
some  of  these  earth- works  are  not  mere  mounds,  but 
extensive  lines  of  embankment,  varying  from  a  few 
feet  to  ninety  feet  in  altitude,  and  enclosing  areas  of 
from  one  to  several  hundred  acres. 

"  Their  sites,"  he  says,  "  present  precisely  the  same 
appearance  as  the  circumjacent  forest.  You  find  on 
them  all  that  beautiful  variety  of  trees  which  give 
such  unrivalled  richness  to  our  forests.  This  is  par- 
ticularly the  case  on  the  fifteen  acres  included  within 
the  walls  of  the  work  at  the  mouth  of  the  great 
Miami,  and  the  relative  proportions  of  the  different 
kinds  of  timber  are  about  the  same." 

He  then  goes  on  to  observe  that  if  you  cut  down 
the  wood  on  ajjy  piece  of  wild  land,  and  abandon  it 
to  nature,  the  trees  do  not  grow  up  as  before,  but 


*  Trans,  of  Amer.  Geologists  and  Naturalists,  p.  232. 
t  Trans,  of  Hist,  and  Phil.  Soc.  of  Ohio,  vol.  i.,  1839. 


Chap.  xv. 


Chap.  xv. 


INDIAN    MOUNDS. 


31 


been  overflowed 
jrated.  He  infers 
hese  mounds  ex- 
liable  to  be  oc- 
tructcd  when  the 
present  levels,  or, 
not  been  deepened 

ery  remote  period 
ded  to,  have  been 
rness  by  General 
nited  States,  who 
raft,  and  all  that 
In  his  essay  on 
>',t  he  states,  that 
mere  mounds,  but 
rying  from  a  few 
enclosing  areas  of 

precisely  the  same 
rest.  You  find  on 
trees  which  give 
ests.  This  is  par- 
es included  within 
3uth  of  the  great 

ns  of  the  different 
:.» 

t  if  you  cut  down 

tid,  and  abandon  it 

up  as  before,  but 

turalists,  p.  232. 
jio,  vol.  i.,  1839. 


one  or  two,  or  at  most  three  species  get  possession  of 
the  whole  ground,  such  for  example  as  the  yellow 
locust,  or  the  black  and  white  walnut.  The  process 
by  which  the  forest  recovers  its  original  state  is  ex- 
tr.j  rely  slow.  *'  On  a  farm  of  my  own,"  says  he, 
"  ui  the  end  of  fifty  years,  so  little  progress  had  been 
made,  as  to  show  that  ten  times  that  period  would  be 
necessary  to  effect  its  complete  assimilation.  When 
those  kinds  of  timber  which  first  establish  them- 
selves have  for  a  long  time  remained  undisputed 
masters  of  the  soil,  they  at  length  die  by  disease,  or 
are  thinned  by  the  lightning  or  tempest.  The  soil 
has  no  longer  a  preference  for  them,  and  by  a  natural 
rotation  of  crops  other  species  succeed,  till  at  length 
the  more  homogeneous  growth  ceases,  and  the  de- 
nuded tract  is  again  clothed  with  a  variety  of  wood." 
As  the  sites  of  the  earthworks  command  extensive 
views,  it  is  reasonable  to  infer  that  no  trees  were 
suftered  by  the  Indians  to  spring  up  upon  them  or  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood,  and  as  no  difference 
could  be  detected  in  the  mixture  of  trees  upon  and 
near  the  mounds,  from  the  state  of  the  surrounding 
forest.  General  Harrison  concludes  that  several 
generations  of  trees  had  succeeded  each  other,  before 
the  present  trees  began  to  grow,  and  that  the  mounds 
were  probably  as  ancient  at  least  as  the  Christian 
a;ra.  The  rich  valley  of  the  Ohio,  when  first  disco- 
vered by  Europeans,  was  thinly  peopled  by  rude 
tribes  of  Indian  hunters.  In  what  manner,  then, 
could  they  have  conquered  and  driven  out  that  more 
civilized  race  which  evidently  preceded  them  ? 
Harrison  suggests  that  a  great  flood,  like  those  which 
occurred  in  1793  and  1832  after  heavy  rain,  when 


ft 


!  41 

I' 

if 


'i 


?'t' 


ABORIGINAL    INDIANS. 


Ckap.  XV. 


ill 


the  Ohio  was  unusually  blocked  up  with  ice,  may 
have  swept  off  Indian  towns  and  village::^,  and  caused 
the  terrified  occupants  to  remove.  The  flood  would 
be  construed  by  their  superstition  into  a  warning 
from  heaven  to  seek  a  residence  upon  some  smaller 
streams ;  and  before  the  remembrance  of  this  fearful 
calamity  had  been  effaced  from  their  imaginations,  the 
deserted  region  would,  from  its  great  fertility,  become 
an  unusual  resort  of  game.  It  would  then  be  a 
common  hunting  ground  for  the  hostile  tribes  of  the 
north  and  south,  and  consequently  a  great  arena  for 
battle.  In  this  state  it  continued  when  first  visited 
by  the  whites. 

Dr.  Morton,  in  his  luminous  and  philosophical 
essay  on  the  aboriginal  race  of  America,  seems  t«5 
have  proved  that  all  the  different  tribes,  except  the 
Esquimaux,  are  of  one  race,  and  that  this  race  is  pe- 
culiar and  distinct  from  all  others.*  The  physical 
characteristics  of  the  Fuegins,  the  Indians  of  the 
tropical  plains,  those  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  of 
the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  are  the  same,  not 
only  in  regard  to  feature  and  external  lineaments, 
but  also  in  osteological  structure.  After  comparing 
nearly  400  crania  derived  from  tribes  inhabiting 
almost  every  region  of  both  Americas,  Dr.  Morton 
has  found  the  same  peculiar  shape  pervading  all, 
'*  the  squared  or  rounded  head,  the  flattened  or  ver- 
tical occiput,  the  hig'.i  cheek  bones,  the  ponderous 
maxilla?,  the  large  quadrangular  orbits,  and  the  low 
receding  forehead."  The  oldest  skulls  from  the 
cemeteries  of  Peru,  the  tombs  of  Mexico,  or  the 


*  Philadelphia,  1844 


NS. 


Ckap.  XV. 


Chap.  xv. 


INDIAN    CIVILISATION. 


38 


up  with  ice,  may 

i^illagc;:^,  and  caused 

The  flood  would 

on  into  a  warninff 

upon  some  smaller 
•ance  of  this  fearful 
lir  imaginations,  the 
5at  fertility,  become 

would  then  be  a 
lostile  tribes  of  the 
r  a  great  arena  for 
1  when  first  visited 

and  philosophical 
America,  seems  t(5 
I  tribes,  except  the 
that  this  race  is  pe- 
•s.*  The  physical 
:he  Indians  of  the 
r  Mountains,  and  of 
i,  are  the  same,  not 
eternal  lineaments, 
After  comparing 
1  tribes  inhabiting 
ericas.  Dr.  Morton 
ape  pervading  all, 
le  flattened  or  ver- 
nes,  the  ponderous 
orbits,  and  the  low 
}t  skulls  from  the 
of  Mexico,  or  the 


mounds  of  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio,  agree  with  each 
other,  and  are  of  the  same  type  as  the  heads  of  the 
most  savage  existing  tribes.  If  we  next  turn  to  their 
arts  and  inventions,  we  find  that  a  canoe  excavated 
from  a  single  log  was  the  principal  vessel  in  use 
throughout  the  New  World  at  the  period  of  its  dis- 
covery, the  same  primitive  model  existing  among  the 
Fuegians,  the  predatory  Caribs,  and  the  more  ad- 
Tanced  Mexicans  and  Peruvians. 
^  But  although  the  various  tribes  remained  in  gene- 
ral as  stationary  in  all  matters  requiring  intellectual 
^ort,  as  in  their  nautical  contrivances,  we  behold 
with  surprise  certain  points,  of  which  Mexico  was  the 
most  remarkable,  where  an  indigenous  and  peculiar 
civilisation  had  been  developed,  and  had  reached  a 
high  degree  of  perfection.  However  much  we  may 
admire  their  architecture,  their  picture-writing,  and 
historical  records,  it  is  their  astronomical  science  in 
particular,  as  Mr.  Prescott  observes,  which  was  dis- 
proportioned  to  their  advancement  in  other  walks  of 
civilisation.*  They  had  fixed  the  true  length  of  the 
tropical  year  with  a  precision  unknown  to  the  great 
philosophers  of  antiquity,  which  could  only  be  the 
result  of  a  long  series  of  nice  and  patient  observations. 
By  intercalating  a  certain  number  of  days  into  the  year 
at  the  expiration  of  every  fifty-two  years,  they  had 
even  anticipated  the  Gregorian  reform,  so  that  their 
calendar  at  the  time  of  the  conquest  was  more  cor- 
rect than  that  of  the  Europeans.  To  ascribe  the 
civilisation  of  the  Toltecs  to  an  Asiatic  origin,  while 
it  is  admitted  that  there  was  no  correspondence  or 


111 


hi^ 


^'\ 


S. 


'  ■  -  ■  i 


•  Conquest  of  Mexico,  vol.  i.,  p.  111. 


INDIAN   CIVILISATION. 


Chap.  xv. 


;li 


rel'  tionship  between  their  language  and  that  of  any 
known  Asiatic  nation,  appears  to  me  a  baseless  hypo- 
thesis, however  true  it  may  be  that  the  aboriginal 
Americans  had  in  the  course  of  ages  derived  some  hints 
from  foreign  sources.  They  could  only  have  taken 
advantage  of  such  aid,  conjectural  as  it  is,  and  with- 
out proof,  if  they  were  already  in  a  highly  progressive 
state ;  and  if  such  assistance  be  deemed  sufficient  to 
invalidate  their  title  to  an  independent  civilisation,  no 
race  of  mankind  can  ever  make  good  their  claim  to 
such  an  honor. 

If,  then,  a  large  continent  can  be  inhabited  by 
hundreds  of  tribes,  all  belonging  to  the  same  race, 
and  nearly  all  remaining  for  centuries  in  a  state  of 
apparently  hopeless  barbarism,  while  two  or  three  of 
them  make  a  start  in  their  social  condition,  and  in 
the  arts  and  sciences ;  if  these  same  nations,  when 
brought  into  contact  with  Europeans,  relapse  and 
retrograde  until  they  are  scarcely  distinguishable  in 
intellectual  rank  from  the  rude  hunter  tribes  de- 
scended from  a  common  stock ;  what  caution  ought 
we  not  to  observe  when  speculating  on  the  inherent 
capacities  of  any  other  great  member  of  the  human 
family  ?  The  negro,  for  example,  may  have  remain- 
ed stationary  in  all  hitherto  explored  parts  of  the 
African  continent,  and  may  even  have  become  more 
barbarous  when  brought  within  the  influence  of  the 
white  man,  and  yet  may  possess  within  his  bosom  the 
germ  of  a  civilisation  as  active  and  refined  as  that  of 
the  golden  age  of  Tezcuco. 

In  proportion  as  the  Ohio  falls  gradually  in  level 
after  its  inundations,  it  leaves  a  great  succession  of 
steps  cut  in  its  mud  banks,  each  from  four  to  ten 


ION. 


Chap.  xv. 


Chap.  xv. 


MARIETTA. 


86 


lage  and  that  of  any 
me  a  baseless  hypo- 
1  that  the  aboriginal 
res  derived  some  hints 
uld  only  have  taken 
ral  as  it  is,  and  with- 
i  a  highly  progressive 
deemed  sufficient  to 
jndent  civilisation,  no 
e  good  their  claim  to 

;an  be  inhabited  by 
ig  to  the  same  race, 
enturies  in  a  state  of 
while  two  or  three  of 
cial  condition,  and  in 

same  nations,  when 
ropeans,  relapse  and 
ely  distinguishable  in 
le  hunter  tribes  de- 

what  caution  ought 
ating  on  the  inherent 
lember  of  the  human 
>le,  may  have  remain- 
xplored  parts  of  the 
n  have  become  more 
1  the  influence  of  the 

within  his  bosom  the 
and  refined  as  that  of 

ills  gradually  in  level 
great  succession  of 
ich  from  four  to  ten 


inches  above  the  other.  I  was  informed  that  the  action 
of  the  waves  raised  by  the  steamboats  causes  this  un- 
dermining of  the  bank.  It  appeared  to  me  an  exact 
miniature  representation  of  the  form  in  which  the 
waves  of  the  sea  have  denuded  the  land  on  the  sides 

Fiff.  8. 


Form  of  mud-banka  of  the  Ohio  River. 

of  some  valleys  in  the  limestone  districts  of  Sicily 
and  other  countries  bordering  the  Mediterranean. 

When  at  Marietta,  I  examined,  with  Dr.  Hildieth, 
fiome  of  the  uppermost  beds  of  the  coal-measures, 
consisting  of  red  shale,  in  which  impressions  of  ferns, 
especially  Pecopteris  cyathcea  Brongn.,  or  a  species 
closely  allied  to  it,  abound.  From  a  locality  in  this 
part  of  Ohio,  which  1  did  not  visit,  but  which  must 
belong  to  the  newest  division  of  the  carboniferous 
strata,  the  trunks  of  silicified  trees  have  been  pro- 
cured in  abundance,  with  one  of  which  Dr.  Ilildreth 
presented  me,  and  which  Mr.  R.  Brown  has  since  as- 
certained to  belong  to  the  genus  Psaronius  of  Cotta. 
These  stems,  usually  called  Psarolitcs,  have  also 
been  described  by  M.  Ad.  Brongniart  as  composed  of 
two  distinct  parts,  an  outer  zone,  consisting  of  a 
great  number  of  nearly  cylindrical  bundles  of  vessels, 
supposed  to  have  been  roots  which  proceeded  from 


I 

■m 


■  ii  ^  ,1  " 


M 


\\- 


% 


m 


''   i 


ill 


; 


;  I 


86 


SlLlt'IFlJSU    TRE£    FERNS. 


Chap.  xv. 


the  stem  near  its  base,  and  an  inner  part  or  axis.  In 
the  exterior  portion,  the  fossil  air-roots  have  a  vas- 
cular tissue,  but  there  is  often  a  delicate  cellular 
tissue  interposed  between  them.  In  the  axis,  on  the 
other  hand,  or  central  part  of  the  stem,  the  vessels 
form  zigzag  or  wavy  bands,  resembling  those  of 
ferns.  These  flexuous  and  vermiform  bands  are  en- 
tirely composed  of  barred  or  scalariform  vessels  quite 
similar  to  those  of  ferns  and  Lycopodia.  M.  Adolplie 
Brongniart,  therefore,  considers  the  psarolites  to  have 
been  the  bases  of  the  trunks  of  lycopodiaceous  trees ; 
but  other  eminent  botanists  incline  rather  to  the 
opinion  that  they  were  true  arborescent  ferns. 

I  have  examined  at  Autun,  in  France,  the  spot 
where  more  than  one  species  of  this  genus  occurs. 
The  geological  position  of  the  fossils,  as  well  as  the 
associated  plants  and  ichthyolites,  imply  that  the  beds 
containing  them  belong  to  the  uppermost  coal  mea- 
sures. The  same  appears  to  hold  true  of  the  strata 
at  Chemnitz  in  Saxony,  from  which  Cotta  procured 
several  species,  as  also  in  regard  to  the  only  other 
places  in  Europe  where  psarolites  have  been  met 
with,  namely,  Neu  Paka  in  Bohemia,  and  IJmcnau 
in  Saxe  Weimar.  Some  species  are  common  to  each 
of  the  spots  above  enumerated;  but  the  American 
fossil  appears  to  have  been  distinct  from  all,  and  is 
remarkable  for  the  small  size  of  the  outer  zone  of 
roots  when  compared  to  the  central  axis.  The 
latter  is  often  no  more  than  two  inches  in  diameter, 
while  the  whole  trunk  is  fourteen  inches.  My  friend 
Mr.  Robert  Brown  possesses  a  psarolite  which  he 
received  from  the  northern  part  of  Brazil. 

May  20. — From  Marietta  we  descended  the  river, 


FERNS. 


Chap.  xv. 


Chap.  xv. 


COAL    OF    POMEROY. 


37 


inner  part  or  axis.    In 
air-roots  have  a  vas- 
m  a  delicate  cellular 
1.     In  the  axis,  on  the 
the  stem,  the  vessels 
resembling  those  of 
rmiform  bands  are  cn- 
alariform  vessels  quite 
;opodia.    M.  Adolphe 
the  psarolites  to  have 
lycopodiaceous  trees ; 
ncline   rather  to  the 
orescent  ferns, 
in  France,  the  spot 
of  this  genus  occurs, 
fossils,  as  well  as  the 
s,  imply  that  the  beds 
uppermost  coal  mea- 
)U  true  of  the  strata 
hich  Colta  procured 
rd  to  the  only  other 
ites  have  been  met 
lemia,  and  IJmcnau 
are  common  to  each 
but  the  American 
inct  from  all,  and  is 
f  the  outer  zone  of 
central  axis.      The 
inches  in  diameter, 
inches.    My  friend 
psarolite  which  he 
f  Brazil, 
escendcd  the  river, 


Hbout  a  hundred  miles,  to  Pomeroy,  where  I  entered 
a  coal  mine  which  had  been  worked  horizontally  in 
the  face  of  a  cliff  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio. 
The  coal  was  bituminous,  and  I  have  already  men- 
tioned (p.  248,  Vol.  I.)  that  Dr.  Percy  has  found  the 
portion  of  volatile  ingredients  (hydrogen,  oxygen, 
«nd  nitrogen)  to  constitute  nineteen  per  cent,  of  the 
tvhole  mass,  which,  except  a  slight  quantity  of  ash, 
18  all  carbon.*  In  appearance,  the  coal  greatly  re- 
iembles  charcoal,  and,  although  very  pure,  its  struc- 
ture displays,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  the  vegetable 
drigin  of  the  mass.  In  the  roof  or  ceiling  of  the 
gallery  were  seen  flattened  stems  of  Calamites 
Suckowii  and  C.  duhius,  matted  together,  in  the 
flame  manner  as  I  have  seen  these  species  occurring 
in  the  shales  of  our  English  coal  mines,  especially  in 
Northumberland  and  Durham.  The  leaves,  also,  of 
ferns,  Pecopteris  arhorescens,  P.  plumosa,  Neuropteris 
cordata,  Cyclopteris  dilatata,  besides  Asterophyllites 
foliosa,  Flahellaritty  and  other  plants,  were  spread  out 
on  the  flat  surface  of  the  shale.  The  Sigillarise  are 
particularly  abundant  in  the  Ohio  coal-field,  and 
about  half  of  those  which  I  obtained  are  decidedly 
identical  with  European  species. 

We  were  fortunate,  when  at  Pomeroy,  to  fall  in 
with  some  New  England  settlers,  who  were  nearly 
related  to  several  of  our  most  valued  friends  at  Bos- 
ton. Their  description  of  what  they  had  gone 
through  since  they  first  founded  this  flourishing  colony 
in  the  wilderness,  reminded  us  of  that  entertaining 
volume  recently  published  in  the  United  States,  called 


i 

■  ■', )  ■ 

% 

Hi: 
I 

I 
I 


•  See  Journ.  of  Geol.  Soc.  London,  vol.  i.,  p.  207. 


VOL.  M. 


-; 


h  i 


88 


NEW   SETTLEMENT. 


Chap.  xv. 


"A  New  Home:  Who'll  Follow?"  It  is  not  the 
trees  and  their  rank  growth  on  the  uncleared  land, 
nor  the  wild  animals,  which  are  the  most  unconge- 
nial neighbours  to  persons  of  supcriour  education 
and  refinement  in  a  new  settlement.  To  enjoy  facil- 
ities, therefore,  of  communicating  rapidly  with  thu 
civilized  Eastern  States  by  founding  their  new  town 
on  the  banks  of  a  great  navigable  river,  or  close  to 
some  main  road  in  the  interior,  is  a  privilege  truly 
enviable.  I  remember  wondering,  when  I  first  read 
Homer's  graphic  sketch  of  the  advantages  of  wealth, 
that  he  should  have  placed  his  rich  man's  mansion  on 
the  road  side — 

diti  Ini  dtKta  vatuv. 

To  an  Englishman,  the  poet's  notion  seemed  very 
un-aristocratic,  for  we  are  almost  irresistibly  remind- 
ed of  the  large  sums  which  an  English  country  gen- 
tleman would  expend  in  order  to  remove  the  high 
road  to  a  respectful  distance.  Probably  tfie  present 
condition  of  Ohio,  rather  than  that  of  a  county  of 
parks  and  mansions  like  Surrey,  was  the  model  most 
frequently  present  to  the  minds  of  the  migratory 
Greeks  of  the  Homeric  age. 

From  Pomeroy,  a  large  steamboat  carried  us  more 
than  200  miles  in  about  fifteen  hours,  down  the  broad, 
winding  stream,  past  many  a  well-wooded  island,  to 
Cincinnati,  where  we  were  struck  with  the  appear- 
ance of  commercial  activity,  the  numerous  wharfs 
and  steamboats,  the  wide  streets  and  handsome 
builduigs. 


ENT. 


Chap.  xv. 


>vv?"    It  is  not  the 
the  uncleared  land, 
the  most  unconge- 
supcriour  education 
?nt.     To  enjoy  lacil- 
ig  rapidly  with  thu 
ding  their  new  town 
Ic  river,  or  close  to 
.  is  a  privilege  truly 
g,  when  I  first  read 
Ivantages  of  wealth, 
:h  man's  mansion  on 


Chap.  xvi. 


UEULOGY    OF   OHIO. 


30 


lotion  seemed  very 
irresistibly  remind- 

iglish  country  gen- 
remove  the  high 
bably  the  present 

«it  of  a  county  of 

as  the  model  most 
of  the  migratory 

it  carried  us  more 
s,  down  the  broad, 
wooded  island,  to 
with  the  ai)pear- 
numerous  wharfs 
I  and    handsome 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

• 

Sueeesaion  of  Strata  on  the  Ohio  between  Pomeroy  and  Cinein' 
nati.— Return  up  the  Ohio  to  Rockville. —  Waverley  Sand- 
stone.— Cliff  Limestone. — Denudation. — Blue  Limestone  of 
Cincinnati.— iMwer  Silurian  Fossils. — Limited  Proportion  of 
Silurian  Species  common  to  Europe  and  America. — Great  De- 
velopment of  Brachiopoda.—Deep  Sea  Formations. — Rarity  of 
Silurian  Land  Plants.— Silurian  Fossil  Fish. 

Between  the  western  extremity  of  the  Appalachian 
coal  field  and  Cincinnati,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring 
to  the  section  given  tit  p.  92,  Vol.  I.,  the  different 
formations,  from  the  Devonian  to  the  Lower  Silurian 
inclusive,  come  up  to  the  surface  in  succession,  being 
well  exposed  in  the  cliffs  or  steep  slopes  of  the  hills 
which  bound  the  Ohio  valley.  I  have  already  men- 
tioned a  fine  seam  of  coal  at  Pomeroy,  beneath 
which,  farther  to  the  westward,  the  lower  coal- 
measures  are  seen,  and  at  length  at  Portsmouth,  the 
inferior  conglomerate  or  millstone  grit,  next  to  which, 
the  formation,  called  by  the  Ohio  geologists  the  Wa- 
verley sandstone,  the  equivalent  of  the  Devonian 
formation  (No.  9,  in  the  large  map,  PI.  II.)  makes  its 
appearance.  To  this  sandstone,  the  Upper  Silurian 
slates  and  limestones  (Nos.  10, 11,  and  13  of  the  map) 
succeed  in  the  descending  order,  and  lastly,  at  Cin- 
cinnati, the  Lower  Silurian  groups  (Nos.  14  and  15 
of  the  map)  are  exhibited  in  the  hills,  and  in  the  bed 
of  the  Ohio  at  low  water. 

Having,  when  I  came  down  the  Ohio,  made  the 


■III 

.■•Hi 

■  I'  I 


M 

4 


.'(, 


t: 


i:" 


ri 


■^p* 


40 


GEOLOQY    OF   OHIO. 


Chaf.  XVL 


11 


last  part  of  my  journey  in  the  dark,  I  re-ascended 
the  river  for  a  hundred  miles,  in  company  with  Dr. 
Locke,  a  geologist  lately  engaged  in  the  State  survey 
of  Ohio,  and  who  liberally  devoted  his  time  to  aid 
me  in  my  inquiries.  I  was  desirous  of  seeing  the 
rocks  corresponding  to  the  Old  Red  sandstone  before 
mentioned,  and  with  this  view  we  landed  at  Rock- 
ville,  about  eighteen  miles  below  Portsmouth,  and 
examined  the  Waverley  sandstone  at  that  place. 
Retaining  in  my  mind  a  perfect  recollection  of  the 
aspect  of  the  deposits  intervening  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  between  the  Coal  and  the  Upper  Silurian 
groups,  at  the  distances  of  400  and  500  miles,  I  was 
struck  with  their  extraordinary  decrease  in  volume, 
the  absence  of  some  formations,  and  the  complete 
identity  of  those  sets  of  strata  which  remained.  I 
,have  before  alluded  to  the  gradual  thinning  out  of 
the  coarse  sedimentary  rocks,  both  in  the  Silurian 
and  Carboniferous  series  of  the  U.  S.,  as  we  proceed 
westward,  and  the  increased  thickness  of  many  of 
the  calcareous  formations.  The  Waverley  sand- 
stone of  Rockville  has  been  recognized  by  Mr.  Hall 
as  the  representative  of  the  Chemung  and  Portage 
groups  of  the  New  York  Reports.  It  contains  here 
many  ripple-marked  flags  with  partings  of  shale. 
The  surfaces  of  the  slabs  of  sandstone  display  the 
festoon-shaped  fucoid,  called  here  Fucoides  cauda 
gallij  from  its  resemblance  to  a  cock's  tail.  I  saw 
some  single  individuals  of  this  plant  extending 
through  layers  eight  inches  thick.  There  were  no 
associated  shells  ;  but  in  some  of  the  uppermost  strata 
of  the  series  we  found  spirifers  and  other  brachio* 
pods,  with  many  encrinites. 


10. 


Chap,  xvl 


I  Chap.  x»i. 


CLIPK    LIMKdTONE. 


41 


dark,  I  re-ascended 

I  company  with  Dr. 

in  the  State  survey 

ted  his  time  to  aid 

lirous  of  seeing  the 

ed  sandstone  before 

^e  landed  at  Rocic- 

w  Portsmouth,  and 

one  at  that  place. 

recollection  of  the 

in  the  State  of  New 

the  Upper  Silurian 

nd  500  miles,  I  was 

decrease  in  volume, 

I,  and  the  complete 

which  remained.     I 

ual  thinning  out  of 

[>th  in  the  Silurian 

J.  S.,  as  we  proceed 

ickness  of  many  of 

B  Waverley  sand- 

gnized  by  Mr.  Hall 

mung  and  Portage 

I.    It  contains  here 

partings  of  shale. 

idstone  display  the 

re  Fucoides  cauda 

cock's  tail.     I  saw 

plant    extending 

There  were  no 

e  uppermost  strata 

nd  other  brachio- 


Between  Rockville  and  Cincinnati  the  bituminous 
shales  corresponding  to  the  Hamilton  group  (or  No. 
JO  of  the  large  map)  are  seen,  and  below  them  what 
is  called  the  "  Cliff  limestone,**  which  is  considered, 
and,  I  believe  correctly,  by  Mr.  Hall,  as  the  repre- 
sentative both  of  the  Helderberg  and  Niagara  lime- 
stones of  New  York.  Among  the  characteristic 
shells,  I  observed  the  Pentamerus  oblongus,  so  abun- 
dant in  the  Clinton  group  of  New  York,  a  shell  con- 
sidered by  Messrs.  Murchison  and  Do  Verneuil  to 
mark  the  line  of  separation  between  the  Upper  and 
Lower  Silurian  rocks  of  Europe. 

In  discussing  with  Dr.  Locke  the  probability  of 
the  former  continuity  of  the  Illinois  and  Appalachian 
coal-fields  (see  the  section.  Vol.  I.  page  92),  and  the 
possible  extension  of  the  strata  (Nos.  5,  6,  and  part 
of  7  of  that  section,  or  9, 10,  11,  and  13  of  the  large 
map)  over  that  flat  dome  on  the  middle  part  of 
which  Cincinnati  is  built,  we  endeavoured  to  calculate 
the  height  which  the  central  area  would  have  attained, 
if  the  formations  supposed  to  have  been  removed  by 
denudation  were  again  restored.  In  that  case  the 
thickness  of  the  strata  of  coal,  subjacent  conglome- 
rate, Devonian  and  Upper  Silurian  beds,  which  must 
have  been  carried  away,  could  not,  if  we  estimate 
their  development  from  the  mean  of  their  aggregate 
dimensions  on  the  east  and  west  of  Cincinnati,  have 
been  less  than  2000  feet.  The  tops  of  the  hills  near 
Cincinnati,  composed  of  the  blue  limestone,  are  about 
1400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  If,  then,  the 
formations  presumed  to  have  been  destroyed  by  de- 
nudation were  replaced,  the  height  of  the  dome 

5* 


'  y, 


iS 


'»:J 


ii 


;1 


•'ii ' 


43 


ItLlIi:    I.IMESTONB. 


Chap.  xvi. 


I  11 


i:i 


would  be  about  3500  feet,  or  exceeding  the  average 
elevation  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains. 

The  thinning  out  and  disappearance  of  the  nnud- 
stones  and  sandstones  of  the  more  eastern  States, 
causing  hnncstoncs,  such  as  the  Helderbcrg  and  Nia- 
gara,  so  widely  separated  in  New  York,  to  unite  and 
form  single  and  indivisible  masses  in  Oiiio,  affords  n;* 
argument  against  the  classification  of  the  New  York 
geologists.  Their  grouping  of  the  subordinate  mem- 
bers of  the  Devonian  and  Silurian  systems  has  been 
based  on  sound  principles ;  on  mixed  geographical, 
lithoiogical,  and  paleontological  considerations ;  and 
the  analogy  of  European  geology  teaches  us  that 
minor  subdivisions,  however  useful  and  important 
within  certain  limits,  are  never  applicable  to  coun- 
tries extremely  remote  from  each  other,  or  to  areas 
of  indefinite  extent. 

The  rock  forming  the  hills  and  tabic  lands  around 
Cincinnati,  called  the  blue  limestone,  has  been  com- 
monly referred  to  the  tige  of  the  Trenton  limestone 
of  New  York  (No.  15,  map,  PI.  II.),  but  is  con- 
sidered by  Messrs.  Conrad  and  Hall,  and  I  believe 
with  good  reason,  as  comprehending  also  the  Hudson 
River  group  (No.  14  of  map).  It  seems  impossible, 
however,  to  separate  these  divisions  in  Ohio,  so  that 
the  district  coloured  biui;  (No.  1.5)  may  be  regarded 
as  agreeing  with  Nos.  14  and  15  in  other  parts  of 
my  map.  Several  of  the  fossils  which  I  collected  at 
Cincinnati,  the  encrinitcs  and  Aviculae  (of  the  sub- 
genus Pterinea)  in  particular,  agree  with  those  which 
I  afterwards  procured  near  Toronto,  on  the  northern 
shores  of  Lake  Ontario. 

After  seeing  at  Cincinnati  several  fine  collections 


I.  Chap.  xvi. 

coding  the  average 
tuins. 

arsincc  of  the  mud- 
Dre  eastern  States, 
eUlcrberg  and  Niii- 
!  York,  to  unite  and 
J  in  Ohio,  alVurds  n;* 
n  of  the  New  York 
e  subordinate  mcm- 
n  systems  has  been 
mixed  geographical, 
considerations ;  and 
gy  teaches  us  that 
leful  and  innportanl 
applicable  to  coun- 
!h  other,  or  to  areas 

I  table  lands  around 
one,  has  been  conn- 
Trenton  limestone 
1.  II.),  but  is  con- 
Hall,  and  I  believe 

g  also  the  Hudson 
t  seems  impossible, 
ms  in  Ohio,  so  that 
()  may  be  regarded 
in  other  parts  of 

hich  1  collected  at 

iculae  (of  the  sub- 
lee  with  those  which 

to,  on  the  northern 

kal  fine  collections 


Chap.  xvi. 


1()H.S||,H    OK    ULUH    I.IME8T0NR. 


43 


of  rcctMit  nnd  fossil  shells  in  the  cabinets  of  Messrs. 
Buchanan,  Anlhuny,  and  Clark,  I  exrunincd  with  care 
the  quarries  of  blue  limestone  and  marl  in  the  suburbs. 
The  organic  remains  here  arc  remarkably  well  pre- 
served for  so  ancient  a  rock,  especially  those  occur- 
R  ring  in  a  compact  argillaceous  blue  limestone,  not 
unlike  the  lias  of  Europe.  Its  deposition  appears  to 
have  gone  on  very  tranquilly,  as  the  Lingula  has 
been  met  with  in  its  natural  and  erect  position,  as  if 
enclosed  in  mud  when  alive,  or  still  standing  on  its 
peduncle.  Crustaceans  of  the  genus  Trhiucleus  arc 
found  spread  out  in  great  numbers  on  layers  of  the 
solid  marl,  as  also  another  kind  of  trilobite,  called 
FaradoxideSf  equally  charactc'ristic  of  the  Lower 
Silurian  system  of  Europe.  The  large  Isotelus  gigns, 
three  or  four  inches  long,  a  form  n  presented,  in  the 
Lower  Silurian  of  Northern  Europe,  by  the  Asaphi 
with  eight  abdominal  articulations,  deserves  also  to 
be  mentioned,  and  a  species  of  graptolite.  I  ob- 
tained also  Spirifer  lynx  in  great  abundance,  a  shell 
which  Messrs.  Murchison  and  De  Verncuil  regard  as 
very  characteristic  of  the  lowest  Silurian  beds  of 
Russia  and  Sweden.  Among  the  mollusca,  I  may 
also  mention  Leptana  sericea,  Orthis  striatitla,  Bel- 
lerophon  bilobatus,  Aveculcc  of  the  subgenus  Pterineat 
Cypricardia,  Orthoceras,  and  others.  There  were 
also  some  beautiful  forms  oT  Crinoidea,  or  stone-lilies, 
and  many  corals,  which  Mr.  Lonsdale  informs  me 
differ  considerably  from  those  hitherto  known  in 
Britain,  a  circumstance  probably  arising  from  the 
small  development  of  coralline  limestones  in  the 
Lower  Silurian  strata  of  our  island.    Several  species 


I 


'      liil 


';..  ' 


t 


'■4 


!'■ 


-^  '• 


ir. 


:»■ 


1^^ 


44 


SILURIAN    FOSSILS. 


Chaf.  xti. 


of  the  new  genus  Stcnopora  of  Lonsdale  are  remark- 
ably abundant. 

In  regard  to  the  proportion  of  species  common  to 
the  Silurian  beds  of  Europe  and  America,  whether 
of  the  lower  or  upper  division,  I  may  confidently 
affirm,  that  it  is  not  greater  than  a  naturalist  would 
have  anticipated,  from  the  analogy  of  the  laws  go- 
verning the  distribution  of  living  invertebrate  ani- 
mals. A  contrary  opinion  has  prevailed  very  widely, 
it  being  rashly  assumed,  that  at  remote  epochs  the 
majority  of  species  were  far  more  cosmopolite  than 
in  modern  times. 

The  recent  researches  of  Messrs.  Murchison  and 
De  Verneuil  point  to  the  conclusion  that  the  fossil 
shells,  corals,  and  trilobites  of  the  Silurian  system  of 
Scandinavia,  and  Russia,  resemble  greatly  those  of 
the  British  Isles  ;  yet  nearly  half  the  species  which 
they  collected  there  were  different  from  ours,  and 
the  departure  from  a  common  type  was  far  more 
conspicuous  in  the  Lower  Silurian  fossils  of  Britain 
and  Russia,  than  in  those  of  the  upper  division. 
When  the  same  fossils  of  Northern  Europe  were 
compared  by  M.  de  Verneuil  with  those  brought  by 
me  from  America,  the  distinctness  was  obviously 
much  greater,  although  the  representation  of  generic 
forms,  whether  in  the  organic  remains  of  the  upper 
or  lower  Silurian  strata,  was  most  clear  and  satis- 
factory. 

On  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  these  ancient  marine 
formations  are  characterized  by  a  prodigious  develop- 
ment of  one  peculiar  family  of  mollusca,  called  bra- 
chiopoda  (palliobranchiata) — shells,  which,  as  they 
inhabit  deep  water,  are  little  known,  and  have  re- 


Chap.  xvi. 
nsdale  are  remark- 

ipccies  common  to 
America,  whether 
I  may  confidently 
a  naturalist  would 
ry  of  the  laws  go- 
invertebrate  ani- 
i^ailed  very  widely, 
emote  epochs  the 
3  cosmopolite  than 

rs.  Murchison  and 

ion  that  the  fossil 

Silurian  system  of 

le  greatly  those  of 

the  species  which 

nt  from  ours,  and 

^pe  was  far  more 

fossils  of  Britain 

upper  division. 

lem  Europe  were 

those  brought  by 

ss  was   obviously 

ntation  of  generic 

nains  of  the  upper 

St  clear  and  satis- 

jse  ancient  marine 

rodigious  develop- 

lusca,  called  bra- 

which,  as  they 

wn,  and  have  re- 


ChAP.  XVI. 


SILURIAN    FOSSILS. 


45 


ceived  no  common  name  in  our  language.  They  are 
represented  by  the  living  genera  Terebratula,  Orthis, 
Lingula,  Orbicula,  and  Crania.  The  existence  of 
Orthis,  a  form  till  lately  supposed  to  be  extinct,  has 
been  made  known  to  us  by  the  researches  of  Philippi 
in  the  Mediterranean.  Some  other  genera  may  here- 
after be  detected  by  deep  dredging,  for  we  learn  from 
Professor  E.  Forbes,  that  at  the  depth  of  100  fathoms 
in  the  Mediterranean  the  profusion  of  individuals  of 
certain  species  of  Terebratula  is  extremely  great. 
Nevertheless  it  may  be  safely  assumed,  that  the  pre- 
sent seas,  as  well  as  the  tertiary  strata  of  the  epochs 
immediately  preceding  our  own,  exhibit  a  smaller 
variety  in  the  forms  of  this  tribe  of  moUusca  than  the 
Silurian  rocks  in  which  they  seem  to  have  attained 
their  maximum  of  development.  The  oldest  known 
fossiliferous  period  was  in  fact  the  age  of  brachiopods ; 
as  the  carboniferous  period  was  that  of  ferns,  and  the 
oolitic  that  of  reptiles. 

The  great  number  of  crustaceans  of  the  extinct 
family  called  Trilohites^  is  also  another  feature  of  the 
formations  older  than  the  carboniferous,  and  especially 
of  the  Silurian  rocks.  No  country  is  richer  in  fossils 
of  this  class  than  the  United  States  ;  and  Mr.  Conrad 
has  given  d  table  of  distinct  genera  of  trilobites, 
which  characterize  his  Upper,  Middle,  and  Lower 
Silurian  formations  of  New  York,  each  of  which 
larger  divisions  he  considers  to  be  quite  as  distinct 
as  the  Devonian,  and  as  capable  of  being  classed 
as  an  independent  group  by  reference  to  organic 
remains.* 

•  Journ.  of  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Philadelphia,  1842,  vol.  viii., 
part  2,  p.  233. 


'  i; 'I 


f]\ 


nm 

\:  SI 

ill 


h 


46 


ABSENCE   OF   LAND    PLANTS. 


Chap.  xvi. 


There  arc  some  negative  characters  showing  a  re- 
semblance between  the  most  ancient  of  the  fossiU- 
ferous  rocks  yet  known  in  Europe  and  America, 
which  deserve  notice,  although  they  belong  to  a  per- 
fectly different  order  from  those  before  mentioned, 
as  deduced  from  the  analogy  of  organic  forms.  Of 
these  points  of  agreement,  the  most  remarkable  are 
the  absence  or  extreme  rarity  of  land  plants  and  ver- 
tebrate animals.  •  That  the  vegetable  world  had  al- 
ready been  called  into  existence  is  proved  by  the 
presence  of  various  forms  of  fucoids,  which  are  plen- 
tifully distributed  through  every  part  of  the  series. 
Some  of  the  slabs  of  the  lowest  Silurian  slates  of 
Wales  are  covered  with  sea- weeds  of  such  genera  as 
are  plainly  indicative,  like  the  brachiopoda,  of  deep 
water.  There  is,  indeed,  every  reason  to  conclude 
that  the  Silurian  deposits  generally  were  formed  far 
from  land,  which  would  alone  explain  the  extreme 
scarcity  of  terrestrial  plants  ;  for  how  seldom  do  we 
meet  with  wood  or  fruits  floating  in  raid  ocean ;  and, 
if  they  are  sometimes  carried  there  by  currents,  how 
rarely  can  we  expect  them  to  sink  to  the  bottom 
precisely  in  those  places  where,  before  decay,  they 
may  become  enveloped  and  permanently  preserved 
in  sediment. 

A  few  examples,  however,  of  Devonian  and  Silu- 
rian land  plants  have  been  brought  to  light  in  the 
course  of  the  New  York  survey.  One  of  these  was 
shown  me  by  Mr.  Vanuxem,  and  has  been  figured  in 
his  final  Report,  p.  157.  It  appeared  to  me  more 
allied  to  the  Lepidodendron  than  any  fossil  genus 
hitherto  described.  Its  position  is  in  the  Hamilton 
or  Upper  Silurian  group,  in  which  we  find  a  great 


ITS. 


Chap.  xti. 


Chap.  xvi. 


DEEP  SEA  FORMATIONS. 


47 


rs  showing  a  re- 
nt of  the  fossiU- 
e  and  America, 
belong  to  a  per- 
sfore  mentioned, 
anic  forms.    Of 
:  remarkable  are 
d  plants  and  ver- 
>le  world  had  al- 
s  proved  by  the 
,  which  are  plen- 
irt  of  the  series. 
Silurian  slates  of 
3f  such  genera  as 
hiopoda,  of  deep 
ason  to  conclude 
were  formed  far 
lain  the  extreme 
iw  seldom  do  we 
mid  ocean ;  and, 
jy  currents,  how 
to  the  bottom 
ore  decay,  they 
ently  preserved 

ronian  and  Silu- 
It  to  light  in  the 
|ne  of  these  was 

been  figured  in 
[ed  to  me  more 
|ny  fossil  genus 
the  Hamilton 

^e  find  a  great 


■Mi 


fA 


variety  of  trilobites,  Spiriferse,  and  other  brachiopoda 
and  corals,  all  agreeing  perfectly  with  European 
Upper  Silurian  types.  Other  plants  allied  to  these, 
and  ferns,  have  been  met  with  in  the  lowest  Devonian 
or  Chemung  strata  of  the  State  of  New  York  (the 
olive  slate  of  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia),  associated 
with  fossil  shells,  very  closely  allied  to  the  Silurian.* 
These  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  have  been  found 
in  those  eastern  parts  of  the  United  States  whore  the 
Devonian  and  Silurian  sandstones  and  mudstones  are 
of  the  greatest  thickness,  and  which  we  may  there- 
fore presume  to  have  originated  nearest  to  the  lands 
then  exposed  to  denudation.  The  neighbouring 
continent  of  that  remote  epoch  may  probably  have 
occupied  the  space  now  covered  by  the  Atlantic,  and 
there  may  have  been  another  in  the  Pacific,  while 
the  lands  now  existing  were  then  the  site  of  deep 
oceans. 

The  greater  the  lapse  of  ages  which  separates  the 
origin  of  a  given  set  of  strata  from  our  own  times, 
the  greater  is  the  probability  that  our  acquaintance 
with  those  strata  will  relate  chiefly  to  pelagic  de- 
posits, or  those  formed  in  deep  seas,  and  far  from 
land.  It  must  require  a  long  continuance  of  subter- 
ranean movements,  and  a  frequent  shifting  of  the 
principal  areas  of  upheaval,  before  extensive  tracts  of 
the  bed  of  deep  oceans,  such  as  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific, can  be  converted  into  continents.  On  the  other 
hand,  we  may  presume  that  the  estuary,  littoral,  and 
lacustrine  strata  of  such  remote  ages,  being  at  first 
of  small  horizontal  extent,  as  compared  to  the  con- 

♦Hall'sReport,  p.  276. 


^ 


V,.!'' 


m 


48 


OLDEST   KNOWN    FOSSIL    FISH.        Chap.  Xri. 


i      ll 


I"  i 


m 


temporaneous  coral  reefs  and  fine  sedimentary  de- 
posits of  the  ocean,  would  have  become  in  great  part 
submerged,  or  covered  by  newer  formations,  or  de- 
stroyed by  denudation,  during  that  immense  interval 
of  time  which  separates  their  origin  from  our  own 
period. 

In  regard  to  the  rarity  of  marine  vertebrate  ani- 
mals in  the  oldest  rocks,  it  may  perhaps  be  no  great- 
er than  is  observed  in  strata  of  more  modern  date, 
formed  in  seas  of  equal  depth,  or  at  points  as  remote 
from  the  land.  Many  years  have  not  elapsed  since 
the  Old  Red  sandstone  was  thought  to  be  barren  of 
ichthyolites ;  but  now,  in  addition  to  the  numerous 
genera  found  in  Scotland  by  Mr.  Hugh  Miller,  and  those 
described  by  M.  Agassiz,  the  last-mentioned  zoologist 
has  announced  that  nine  genera  of  sharks  of  the 
division  Cestracion  occur  in  the  Devonian  beds  of 
Russia,  examined  by  Messrs.  Murchison  and  De  Ver- 
neuil.  The  appearance  of  fish  so  highly  organized 
in  some  of  the  oldest  formations,  is  strongly  opposed 
to  the  theory  of  progressive  development  advocated 
by  some  writers,  and  imagined  by  them  to  derive 
support  from  recent  geological  discoveries. 

In  England,  the  remains  of  fish  have  long  been 
known  in  the  highest  beds  of  the  Upper  Silurian,  and 
they  have  lately  been  found  as  far  down  as  the  Wen- 
lock  limestone.  The  New  York  surveyors  have  met 
with  them  in  more  than  one  member  of  the  Helder 
berg  series  (No.  11,  Map.  pi.  II.)  Long  ichthyodo- 
rulites,  or  spines  of  the  dorsal  fins  of  fishes,  have  been 
obtained,  for  example,  from  the  Comiferous  limestone. 
But  the  lowest  rock  in  which  they  have  been  traced 
in  America  is,  I  believe,  the  Clinton  group,  which 


t.  PISH.       Chap.  xri. 

e  sedimentary  de- 
some  in  great  part 
formations,  or  de- 
;  immense  interval 
Bfin  from  our  own 

le  vertebrate  ani- 
'haps  be  no  great- 
lore  modern  date, 
t  points  as  remote 
not  elapsed  since 
t  to  be  barren  of 
to  the  numerous 
li  Miller,  and  those 
intioned  zoologist 
of  sharks  of  the 
Devonian  beds  of 
ison  and  De  Ver- 
highly  organized 
strongly  opposed 
)ment  advocated 
them  to  derive 
sreries. 

have  long  been 
3er  Silurian,  and 
wn  as  the  Wen- 
reyors  have  met 
'  ot  the  Holder 
long  ichthyodo- 
shes,  have  been 
srous  limestone, 
ive  been  traced 
1  group,  which 


Chap.  xvi. 


PROOFS  or  DEEP  SEAS. 


49 


49 

■'outl,.we„e™  panff  y"'*  ."'^  ""'"""OB  from  the 

Professor  E.  Forbes  ift.-  „ 
once,  by  dredging  in  iL  m!  A°''"''''"«  '"""''  ^P^^'- 

"■ferred  ,ha,  the  Silurian  e", "  t ""  ''"P""''  ''='' 
examined  wore  at  first    ',J '""'"''""•'=»' hilherto 
though  in  parts  thev  U    ^     ".^  ""''  '""I"'',  al- 
Tho  following  are  the  on     '■"'r''  «'^"  ^''"''"wer. 
elusion  .-fi4  Z  sm^  1?:' r  """^  "'  ""'^  <=»- 
of  eonchifcra ;  secondly  thT         •    ^'''"'""'  "'""''er 
ch-ata  (or  spirL,  uX  ^    S'^f  P"""'^™'- 
ter  of  floaters,  such  as  B^lil'     u    ^'  ""^  S'-eat  num- 
•■""'•'hly,  the  abundance  ofr""'  ^'-'l-^^^"^' &«•; 
f-"ce  or  great  rTr u;  of 'Sl'^^'"  '?'^' '"« 
deep-water  forms  of  mosrof  ,t  ''  '""^'y-  ">« 

-"onthly,  the  absence  of  and  p,^;"""^^"' '   «■«' 


I'     T 


■    ir' 


k 


m 


yoL.  II. 


6 


50 


CINCINNATI. 


Chap.  xvh. 


1   i 

1 

t 

I           h 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Jilluoial  Terraces  at  Cincinnati,  and  their  Origin. — Bones  of  the 
Elephant  and  Mastodon. — Excursion  to  the  Swamps  of  Big 
Bone  Lick,  in  Kentucky. — JVoble  Forest. — Salt  Springs. — 
Buffalo  Trails. — JVumerous  Bones  of  extinct  Animals. — Asso- 
ciated Freshwater  and  Land  Shells. — Relative  Age  of  JVorth- 
em  Drift,  and  Deposits  with  Bones  of  Mastodon  on  the  Ohio 

Th.^  Ohio  river  at  Cincinnati,  and  immediately  above 
and  below  it,  is  bounded  on  its  right  bank  by  two 
terraces,  on  which  the  city  is  built ;  the  streets  in  the 
upper  and  lower  part  of  it  standing  on  different  levels. 
These  terraces  are  composed  of  sand,  gravel,  and 
loam,  such  as  the  river,  if  blocked  up  by  some  barrier, 
might  now  be  supposed  to  sweep  down  in  its  current, 
and  deposit  in  a  lake.  The  upper  terrace,  6  (fig.  9), 
is  bounded  by  steep  hills  of  ancient  fossiliferous  rocks. 
A,  the  blue,  L^wer  Silurian  limestone,  mentioned  in 
the  last  chapter,  in  horizontal  stratification.  The 
higher  terrace,  &,  is  about  60  feet  above  the  lower,  -, 
and  this  again  about  60  feet  above  low  water  in  the 
Ohio,  d.  The  geologists  here  are  convinced  that  the 
inferior  terrace,  c,  is  of  newer  origin  than  6,  as  shown 
in  the  section  (fig.  9),  and  proved  by  excavations,  not 
exposed  at  the  time  of  my  visit. 

In  sinking  a  well  through  c,  at  the  distance  of  300 
yards  from  the  Ohio,  and  at  the  depth  of  50  feet  from 
the  surface,  they  found,  at  e,  pieces  of  wood  and 
many  walnuts  in  a  bed  of  silt. 

Near  the  edge  of  the  higher  terrace,  in  digging  a 
gravel-pit,  which  I  saw  open  at  the  end  of  Sixth 


.  H 


Chap.  xvn. 


Chap. 


XVI. 


[I. 

r  Origin.— Bonea  of  the 
to  the  Swamps  of  Big 
est. — Salt  Springs. — 
ttinet  Animals. — Asso- 
Relative  Age  ofJVorth- 
Mastodon  on  the  Ohio 

immediately  above 
right  bank  by  two 
;  the  streets  in  the 
on  different  levels. 

sand,  gravel,  and 
ip  by  some  barrier, 
[own  in  its  current, 

terrace,  h  (fig.  9), 
fossiliferous  rocks, 
tone,  mentioned  in 
tratification.  The 
ibovc  the  lower,  v, 
3  low  water  in  the 
convinced  that  the 
in  than  6,  as  shown 
)y  excavations,  not 

lie  distance  of  300 
pth  of  50  feet  from 
;ces  of  wood  and 

rrace,  in  digging  a 
the  end  of  Sixth 


I 


AJ.I.UVIAL   TEBBACES. 


6] 


Wh  in  very  analogous  ^^T"'"!  "'"'=''  '^  """ 
Thames,  and  ,he  fame  Zrw?"r° ''""''^  "'"''>'' 
"n-re  with  i,s  fl^^fc  ;„  the  ice  of  sTh  ""'  '''"^""i 
'tratom  fiom  which  the  tomh  ^    ^^""^  ">e 

served  about  six  feet  of  '°°'\"''«  "btained,  I  ob- 
o;  fine  yeliow  loat  'ani  tllw  T"''  "'  '™  '-^ 
"f  gravel,  loam,  and   and  for  an  ;  T^--?,  »"e™ations 
<=d  m  vain  for  any  accomn  '         ?"*■    ^'"  '  'earch- 
however.have  bZTTj''!"'^  ^'"''" '^»^-    These 
Mill  Creek,  near  Cinot„afi  '"  "  f""'""  ^""='«»n  ««' 
,<««"•  of  mastodons  have  ten   "T  ■^'"^''^  ^^^^^l 
'»n«  to  the  genera  mZialS     ""f'     '^''^y  ^e- 

"nd  Pupa,  all  of  recent  3'^^^'  '^^"<'^'  «>'«, 
.'"inhabit  the  imme<^:  eTeSo""!""'"-'^  ="'  <">»-» 
■nformad  that,  near  WhS^^'^T  '  ^'^^  "'^o 
shells,  one  foot  thick  of  .h„  '""'  <"■  freshwater 

•he  height  Of.  ,.„  tt  abovf  r  '''"" ''  ^P-^ 
Oino.    The  remains  of  .►,„  "'"'°  'evel  of  (he 

•"don  (ilf.^.^,«;:,  ^l;':,::™™""  American  m  s! 
Pomts  in  the  strata  4  ^u t  T  ^"""^  «  '^^^al 
^d  below  Cincinnat"         P*^""  "='■'•'"="'  both  above 


if 


Ifcl 


62 


ALLUVIAL   TERRACES 


Chap.  xvii. 


^1 


f     r 


■,  I 


Upon  the  whole  it  appears,  that  the  strata  of  loam, 
clay,  and  gravel,  forming  the  elevated  terraces  on 
both  sides  of  the  Ohio  and  its  tributaries,  and  which 
wc  know  to  have  remained  unaltered  from  the  era  of 
the  Indian  mounds  and  earthworks,  originated  subse- 
quently to  the  period  of  the  existing  mollusca,  but 
when  several  quadrupeds  now  extinct  inhabited  this 
continent.  The  lower  parts  both  of  the  larger  and 
smaller  valleys  appear  to  have  been  filled  up  with  a 
fluviatile  deposit,  through  which  the  streams  have 
subsequently  cut  broad  and  deep  channels.  These 
phenomena  very  closely  resemble  those  presented  by 
the  loess,  or  ancient  river-silt  of  the  Rhine  and  its  tri- 
butaries, and  the  theory  which  I  formerly  suggested 
to  account  for  the  position  of  the  Rhenish  loess  (also 
charged  with  recent  land  and  freshwater  shells,  and 
occasionally  with  the  remains  of  the  extinct  elephant) 
may  be  applicable  to  the  American  deposits. 

I  imagined  first  a  gradual  movement  of  depression, 
like  that  now  in  progress  on  the  west  coast  of  Green- 
land, to  lessen  the  fall  of  the  waters,  or  the  height  of 
the  land  relatively  to  the  ocean.  In  consequence  of 
the  land  being  thus  lowered,  the  bottoms  of  the  main 
and  lateral  valleys  become  filled  up  with  fluviatile 
sediment,  containing  terrestrial  and  freshwater  shells, 
in  the  same  manner  as  deltas  are  formed  where  rivers 
meet  the  sea,  the  salt-water  being  excluded,  in  spite 
of  continued  subsidence,  by  the  accumulation  of  allu- 
vial matter,  brought  down  incessantly  from  the  land 
above.  Afterwards,  I  suppose  an  upward  movement 
gradually  to  restore  the  country  to  its  former  level, 
and,  during  this  upheaval,  the  rivers  remove  a  large 
part  of  the  accumulated  mud,  sand,  and  gravel.     I 


Chap,  xvii. 


Chap,  xvii. 


Wo  llONE  LICK. 


—  «i    WCK. 

S;a.e»,  wo  have  poslZlt/'  /"*  '"  "■«  UnS 
"novel,  ,,•„„„  P  „,„  "  P™°^-— Je™  „,ei„„,  J 

T'™  day,  after  I  .eacherf  P       "''• 
""•npany  with   two  „Tt„    y^"""""'"''- ^  ^^t  out  in 
Due  a„„„  andMr.Vc   a'::,"  "'   """  -^'V.  M 

'^•'•«''tobe„yg„y     -^^^^Amhony    who  kindly  ol 

?fea,  geological  colcb  "yl^  ^^"""I™  '"  a  pJe  of 
f  Komueiy,  called  bIbI  «'''"""™S  Stale 
bones  of  mastodons  and  ""   ^'<='''   where  ih! 

P^-'^.'.a.i  been  duH;!"::!""';^ -'-' <)"  d  u 

«",„g  crossed  the  rive"f,om  „  '"'''""'•^  "^""''^c". 
'"rough  a  forest  fir  m„  f^'neinnali,  we  Dn«J 

--yofitst^et^^t-f^contforlhetS 

bu   ™S"-"aple,  and    he  wilL  ^^'"•"'  "■<=  'oc"s,f  rlt 
'      of  h":  r  ""r "'  '--.-nine  on,T  '"  '^^"">^'on 

%  Bone  L-  ^'*^'' 


7,«<ierate  depth. 


i^i 


I; 
ii    'i 

H 


If 


ill 


^n  one  of 


64 


SALT    SPRINGS. 


Chap.  xvii. 


-i(^ 


those,  watered  by  the  Big  Bone  Creek,  occur  the 
boggy  grounds  and  springs  called  Licks.  The  term 
Lick  is  applied  throughout  North  America  to  those 
marshy  swamps  where  saline  springs  break  out,  and 
which  are  frequented  by  deer,  bufTalo,  and  other  wild 
animals  for  the  sake  of  the  salt,  whether  dissolved  in 
the  water,  or  thrown  down  by  evaporation  in  the 
summer  season,  so  as  to  encrust  the  surface  of  the 
marsh.  Cattle  and  wild  beasts  devour  this  incrusta- 
tion greedily,  and  burrow  into  the  clay  impregnated 
with  salt,  in  order  to  lick  the  mud.  Bartram,  the 
botanist,  tells  us,  that  in  his  time  (1790)  he  visited 
BufTalo  Lick  in  Georgia,  forming  part  of  a  cane 
swamp,  in  which  the  head  branches  of  the  Ogeechee 
river  take  their  rise.  The  lick  consisted  of  "  white- 
coloured  tenacious  fattish  clay,  which  all  kinds  of 
cattle  lick  into  great  hollows,  pursuing  the  delicious 
vein."  "  I  could  discover  nothing  saline  in  its  taste, 
but  an  insipid  sweetness.  Horned  cattle,  horses,  and 
deer  are  immoderately  fond  of  it,  insomuch  that  their 
excrement,  which  almost  totally  covers  the  earth  to 
some  distance  round  this  place,  appears  to  be  per- 
fect clay,  which,  when  dried  by  the  sun  and  air,  is 
almost  as  hard  as  brick."  (Travels  in  N.  and  S. 
Carolina,  &c.,  p.  39.) 

The  celebrated  bog  of  Kentucky  is  situated  in 
a  nearly  level  plain,  in  a  valley  bounded  by  gentle 
slopes,  which  lead  up  to  the  table-lands  before  men- 
tioned. The  general  course  of  the  meandering  stream 
which  flows  through  the  plain,  is  from  east  to  west. 
There  are  two  springs  on  the  southern  or  left  bank, 
rising  from  marshes,  and  two  on  the  opposite  bank, 
the  most  western  of  which,  called  the  Gum  Lick,  is 


L;hav.  XVII. 

occur  the 
The  term 
a  to  those 
ik  out,  and 
other  wild 
lissolved  in 
ilion  in  the 
rfacc  of  the 
[lis  incrusta- 
.mpregnated 
iartrum,  tlic 
0)  he  visited 
t  of  a  cane 
^hc  Ogecchec 
.d  of  "  whitc- 
,  all  kinds  of 
^  the  delicious 
no  in  its  taste, 
Ic,  horses,  and 
luch  that  their 
fs  the  earth  to 
ars  to  be  per- 
sun  and  air,  is 
in  N.  and  S. 

is  situated  in 
nded  by  gentle 
ids  before  men- 
andering  stream 
■11  east  to  west. 
,vn  or  left  bank, 
Q  opposite  bank, 
he  Gum  Lick,  is 


Chap.  xvit. 


DUIFALO    rATII.'. 


55 


I 

I 


at  the  point  whrre  .i  small  trihuttiry  joins  the  princi- 
pal stream.  The  quaking  hogs  on  this  sido  are  now 
more  than  fifteen  acres  in  extent,  but  all  the  marshes 
were  formerly  lar<p'er  before  the  surrounding  ibrcst 
was  partially  cleared  away.  The  removal  of  tall 
trees  has  allowed  the  sun's  rays  to  penetrate  freely 
to  the  soil,  and  dry  up  fKirt  of  the  morass. 

Within  the  memory  of  persons  now  living,  the 
wild  bisons  or  buflaloes  crowded  to  these  spring*?, 
but  they  have  retreated  for  many  years,  and  arc  now 
as  unknown  to  the  inhabitants  as  the  mastodon 
itself.  Mr.  Phinnel,  the  proprietor  of  the  land, 
called  our  attention  to  two  buffalo  paths  or  trails 
still  extant  in  the  woods  here,  both  leading  directly 
to  the  springs.  One  of  these  in  particular,  which 
first  strikes  off  in  a  northerly  direction  from  the 
Gum  Lick,  is  afterwards  traced  eastward  through 
the  forest  for  several  miles.  It  was  three  or  four 
yards  wide,  only  partially  overgrown  with  grass, 
and,  sixty  years  ago,  was  as  bare,  hard,  and  well 
trodden  as  a  high  road. 

The  bog  in  the  spots  where  the  salt  springs  rise 
is  so  soft,  that  a  man  may  force  a  pole  down  into  it 
many  yards  perpendicularly.  It  may  readily  bo 
supposed,  therefore,  that  horses,  cows,  and  other 
quadrupeds,  are  now  occasionally  lost  here ;  and 
that  a  much  greater  number  of  wild  animals  were 
mired  formerly.  It  is  well  known  that,  during  great 
droughts  in  the  Pampas  of  South  America,  the 
horses,  cattle,  and  deer  throng  to  the  rivers  in  such 
numbers  that  the  foremost  of  the  crowd  are  pushed 
into  the  stream  by  the  pressure  of  others  behind, 
and  are  sometimes  carried  away  by  thousands  and 


I' 


^1 

I 


-'  ,1 


li  H 


i '  ill 


i^i 


h 


'  i 


l'Ut<SlI.    MAMMALIA. 


Chap.  xvii. 


drowned.*  In  their  ejigornesg  to  drink  the  snlino 
waters  and  lick  the  salt,  the  he.ivy  nuistodons  and 
elephants  sectn  in  Ukc  manner  to  have  pressed  upon 
each  other,  and  sunk  in  these  soft  <iuiigmires  of 
Kentucky. 

The  greater  proportion  botli  of  the  entire  skeletons 
of  extinct  animals,  and  the  separate  bones,  have 
been  taken  up  from  black  mud,  about  twelve  feet 
below  the  level  of  the  creek.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  bones  of  mastodons  found  here  could  not  have 
belonged  to  less  than  one  hundred  distinct  individuals, 
those  of  the  fossil  elephant  {E.  primincnius),  to 
twenty,  besides  which,  a  few  bones  of  a  stag,  horse, 
megalonyx,  and  bison,  are  stated  to  have  been 
obtained.  Whether  the  common  bison,  the  remains 
of  which  I  saw  in  great  numbers  in  a  sujierficial 
stratum  recently  cut  open  in  the  river's  bank,  has 
ever  been  seen  in  such  a  situation  as  to  prove  it  to 
have  been  contemporaneous  with  the  extinct  mas- 
todon, I  was  unable  to  ascertain.  In  regard  to  the 
horse,  it  may  probably  have  differed  from  f»ur 
Equus  cahallus  as  much  as  the  zebra  or  wild  ass, 
in  the  same  manner  as  that  found  at  Newbernc  in 
North  Carolina  appears  to  have  done.  (Sec  p.  131.) 
The  greatest  depth  of  the  black  mud  has  not  been 
ascertained ;  it  is  composed  chiefly  of  clay,  with  a 
mixture  of  calcareous  matter  and  sand,  and  contains 
5  parts  in  100  of  sulphate  of  lime,  with  some  animal 
matter.  (Cuvier,  Oss.  Foss.,tom.  i.,  p.  216.)  Layers 
of  gravel  occur  in  the  midst  of  it  at  various  depths. 


•  Darwin's  Journal,  p.  156 ;   Sir  W.   Parish's  Buenos  Ayres, 
pp.  151  and  371. 


Chap.  xvii. 

• 

llio  Bftlinc 
todons  niul 
•esscd  upon 
ngmircs  ot 

ire  skeletons 
bones,  have 
twelve  ieet 
apposed  that 
uld  not  Imvo 
;t  individuals, 
mis^enius),  to 
a  stag,  horse, 

0  htivc   Ihc'U 
n,  the  vcnifiins 

1  a  superrtelal 
cr's  bunU,  lm» 

to  prove  it  to 
c  extinct  mas- 
rcgard  to  the 
red    IVom  t>«r 
a  or  wild  ass, 
t  Newberne  in 
(Sec  p.  131.) 
I  has  not  been 
A  clay,  with  a 
id,  and  contains 
^th  some  animal 
,.216.)    Layers 
various  depths. 

Lh'8  Buenos  Ayrefl, 


Chap.  xvii. 


I'Uti'lL    AM.MAl.H    ANU    MIIKM.S. 


67 


In  some  places  it  rests  upon  the  blue  limestone. 
The  only  teeth  which  I  myself  procured  from  col- 
lectors on  the  spot,  besides  those  of  the  buffalo,  were 
recognized  by  Mr.  Owen  as  belonging  to  extremely 
young  mastodons.  From  the  place  where  they  were 
found,  and  the  rolled  state  of  some  of  the  accom- 
panying bones,  I  suspected  that  they  had  been 
washed  out  of  the  soil  of  the  bogs  above  by  the 
river,  which  often  changes  its  course  after  floods. 

Mr.  Cooper  of  New  York,  who  has  given  the 
fullest  account  of  the  fossils  of  this  ])lace,  says,  that 
the  remains  of  reeds  and  freshwater  molhisca  accom- 
pany the  bones ;  but  he  names  no  species  of  shells. 
Mr.  Anthony  and  I  were  therefore  diligent  in  our 
search  for  shells  in  pita  which  happened  to  have 
been  recently  laid  open  by  collectors  of  fossil  bones ; 
and  we  soon  obtained  a  small  Ancyhis  and  Cyclas. 
Afterwards,  in  the  most  eastern  marsh,  in  the  middle 
of  which  a  powerful  spring  throws  up  beech  nuts 
and  shells  from  the  mud  below,  we  found  two  species 
of  Melania  known  as  recent,  Physa  heterostropha, 
Cyclas  similis,  C.  dubia  ?  (and  another  species,  not 
known  to  naturalists  here),  Pisidium  (supposed  to 
agree  with  one  from  Lake  Erie),  Ancylus  (not 
known),  and  fragments  of  Unio  ;  also  the  following 
land  shells  ; — Helix  solUaria  (with  bands  of  colour 
not  effaced),  //.  alternata,  H.  clatisa,  H.  fraterna,  and 
Pupa  armifera.  As  new  terrestrial  and  freshwater 
shells  are  occasionally  added  to  the  recent  American 
fauna,  I  think  it  very  probable  that  all  the  fourteen 
species  which  we  met  with,  and  which,  I  believe, 
co-existed  with  the  mastodon,  are  still  living,  though 


li  rl 


I 


'1 


"I 
i 


'^ 


58 


BIO    BONE    LICK. 


Chap.  xvii. 


i    I      i      'ii 


perhaps  not  all  of  them  in  the   immediate  neigh- 
bourhood. 

It  is  impossible  to  view  this  plain,  without  at  once 
concluding  that  it  has  remained  unchanged  in  all  its 
principal  features  from  the  period  when  the  extinct 
quadrupeds  inhabited  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  its 
tributaries.  But  one  phenomenon  perplexed  us 
much,  and  for  a  time  seemed  quite  unintelligible.  On 
parts  of  the  boggy  grounds,  a  superficial  covering  of 
yellow  loam  was  incumbent  on  the  dark-coloured  mud, 
containing  the  fossil  bones.  This  partial  covering 
of  yellow  sandy  clay  was  at  some  points  no  less  than 
fifteen  or  twenty  feet  thick.  Mr.  Bullock  passed 
through  it  when  he  dug  for  fossil  remains  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  creek,  and  he  came  down  to  the  boggy 
grounds  with  bones  below.  We  first  resorted  to  the 
hypothesis  that  the  valley  might  have  been  danmied 
up  by  a  temporary  barrier,  and  converted  into  a  lake ; 
but  we  afterwards  learnt,  that  although  the  Ohio  is 
seven  miles  distant  by  the  windings  of  the  creek, 
there  being  a  slight  descent  the  whole  way,  yet  that 
great  river  has  been  known  to  rise  so  high  as  to  flow 
up  the  valley  of  Big  Bone  Creek,  and,  so  late  as  1824, 
to  enter  the  second  story  of  a  house  built  near  the 
springs.  The  level  of  the  Licks  above  the  Ohio  is 
about  fifty  feet,  the  distance  in  a  straight  line  being 
only  three  miles.  At  Cincinnati  the  river  has  been 
known  to  rise  sixty  feet  above  its  summer  level,  and 
in  the  course  of  ages  it  may  occasionally  have  risen 
higher.  It  may  be  unnecessary,  therefore,  to  refer 
to  the  general  subsidence  before  alluded  to  (probably 
an  event  of  a  much  older  date),  in  order  to  account 
for  the  patches  of  superficial  silt  last  described. 


Chap.  xvii. 
ate  neigh- 

:,ut  at  once 

3d  in  all  its 

,  the  extinct 

3hio  and  its 

jrplexed    us 

Uigible.     On 

I  covering  of 

ioloured  mud, 

tial  covering 

s  no  less  than 

iiUock  passed 

ans  on  the  left 

t  to  the  boggy 

f-esorted  to  the 
been  danmied 
tedintoalaVc; 
g\i  the  Ohio  is 
of  the  creek, 
way,  yet  that 
high  as  to  flow 
;o'latcasl824, 

built  near  the 
.ve  the  Ohio  is 
ight  line  being 
river  has  been 
^imer  level,  and 
tally  have  risen 
.refore,  to  refer 
ed  to  (probably 
rder  to  account 
Idescribed. 


Chap.  xvii. 


NORTHERN    DRIFT. 


59 


After  spending  the  day  in  exploring  the  Licks, 
we  were  hospitably  received  at  the  house  of  a  Ken- 
tucky proprietor  a  few  miles  distant,  whose  zeal  for 
farming  and  introducing  cattle  of  the  "  true  Durham 
breed,"  had  not  prevented  him  from  cultivating  a 
beautiful  flower  garden.  We  were  regaled  the  next 
morning  at  breakfast  with  an  excellent  dish  of  broiled 
squirrels.  There  are  seasons  when  the  grey  squirrel 
swarms  here  in  such  numbers,  as  to  strip  the  trees  of 
their  foliage,  and  the  sportsmen  revenge  themselves 
after  the  manner  of  the  Hottentots,  when  they  eat 
the  locusts  which  have  consumed  every  green  thing 
in  Southern  Airicii. 

We  then  re'r.rned  by  another  route  through  the 
.splendid  forest,  and  re-crossed  the  Ohio.  The 
weather  was  cool,  and  we  saw  no  fire-flies,  although 
I  had  seen  many  a  few  days  before,  sparkling  as  they 
flitted  over  the  marshy  grounds  bordering  the  Ohio, 
in  my  excursion  up  the  river  to  Rockville. 

Among  the  inquiries  which  can  hardly  fail  to 
awaken  the  curiosity  of  a  geologist  who  explores  this 
region,  one  of  the  most  natural  relates  to  the  relative 
age  of  the  northern  drift,  and  the  deposits  containing 
the  remains  of  the  mastodon  and  elephant,  whether  at 
Big  Bone  Lick,  or  in  the  higher  terrace  {b,  fig.  9)  at 
Cincinnati.  In  my  journey,  some  days  afterwards, 
from  the  Ohio  river  to  Cleveland  on  Lake  Erie,  I 
had  not  proceeded  twenty-five  miles  to  the  north- 
ward before  I  again  found  myself  in  a  country 
covered  with  northern  drift,  of  which  I  had  lost 
sight  for  many  weeks  previously.  The  first  patches 
which  I  observed  were  about  five  miles  N.E.  of  the 
town  of  Lebanon,  after  which  I  saw  it  in  great 


li   V 


n  fu-\ 


t.i 


it' 


11 
1,1:3 


^! 


i  i 


60 


NORTHERN    UKIFT. 


Chap.  xvit. 


1   li 


abundance  at  Springfield,  with  large  blocks  and 
boulders  of  gneiss,  reddish  syenite,  quartzite,  and 
hornblende  rock,  all  of  which  must  have  come  from 
the  north  side  of  Lake  Erie.  The  Ohio  river, 
therefore,  in  the  north  latitude  40°  and  41°,  seems  to 
mark  the  southern  limit  of  the  drift  in  this  part  of 
North  America,  although  some  scattered  blocks  have 
gone  farther,  and  reached  Kentucky. 

I  was  also  told  that  a  boulder  of  gneiss,  twelve 
feet  in  diameter,  has  been  found  resting  on  the  upper 
terrace  {h,Jig.  9),  four  miles  north  of  Cincinnati,  and 
that  fragments  of  granite,  in  a  similar  situation,  have 
been  met  with  at  that  city  itself  These  may  possibly 
have  been  brought  into  their  present  position  since 
the  period  of  the  deposition  of  the  principal  mass  of 
northern  drift  ;  for,  although  I  could  not  obtain 
sufficient  data  for  forming  an  accurate  opinion  as  to 
the  relative  age  of  the  drift,  and  the  beds  containing 
the  bones  of  mastodon  and  elephant,  whether  in  the 
upper  terrace  above  alluded  to,  or  in  the  licks  of 
Kentucky,  I  incline  to  believe  the  drift,  as  a  whole, 
to  be  the  older  of  the  two  formations.  The  swamps 
of  the  Big  Bone  Licks  have  the  same  intimate  re- 
lation to  the  present  superficial  geography  of  the 
district,  as  have  those  marshes  and  alluvial  deposits 
before  described  in  New  York,  as  containing  the 
remains  of  mastodon  and  recent  shells,  which  are  de- 
cidedly more  modern  than  the  drift  and  its  erratic 
blocks.     (Vol.  1.,  pp.  18,  20,  and  54.) 


CMAP.  XVII. 

)locks  and 
LTtzite,  and 
come  from 
Ohio  river, 
lo^  seems  to 
this  part  of 
blocks  have 

neiss,  twelve 
on  the  upper 
incinnati,  and 
ituation,  have 
!  may  possibly 
position  since 
icipal  mass  of 
^Id  not  obtain 
opinion  as  to 
icds  containing 
|whethcr  in  tiie 
1  the  licks  of 
tft,  as  a  whole, 
The  swamps 
le  intimate  re- 
igraphy  of  th(^ 
Juvial  deposits 
containing  the 
j,  which  are  dc- 
and  its  erratic 


Chap,  xviii. 


CINCINNATI. 


61 


I 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

Cincinnati. — Journey  across  Ohio  to  Cleveland.— JVew  Clear- 
ings.— Rapid  Progress  of  the  Stale  since  the  year  ISOO. — 
Increase  of  Population  in  the  United  States.— Political  Dis- 
cussions.— German  and  Irish  Settlers. — Stump  Oratory. — 
Presidential  Elections. — Relative  Value  of  Labour  and  Land. 

The  pork  aristocracy  of  Cincinnati  docs  not  mean 
those  innumerable  pigs  which  walk  at  large  about  the 
streets,  as  it*  they  owned  the  town,  but  a  class  of 
rich  merchants,  who  have  made  their  fortunes  by 
killing  annually,  salting,  and  exporting,  about 
200,000  swine.  There  are,  besides  these,  other 
wealthy  proprietors,  who  have  speculated  success- 
fully in  land,  which  often  rises  rapidly  in  value  as 
the  population  increases.  The  general  civilisation 
and  refinement  of  the  citizens  is  far  greater  than 
might  have  been  looked  for  in  a  State  founded  so 
recently,  owing  to  the  great  number  of  families  which 
have  come  directly  from  the  highly  educated  part  of 
New  England,  and  have  settled  here. 

As  to  the  free  hogs  before  mentioned,  which  roam 
about  the  handsome  streets,  they  belong  to  no  one 
in  particular,  and  any  citizen  is  at  liberty  to  take 
them  up,  fatten,  and  kill  them.  When  they  increase 
too  fast,  the  town  council  interferes,  and  sells  off 
some  of  iheir  number.  It  is  a  favorite  amuscii';nt 
of  the  boys  to  ride  upon  the  pigs,  and  we  were  shown 
one  sagacious  old  hog,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  lying 
down  as  soon -as  a  boy  came  in  sight. 

VOL.  IJ.  7 


f 


1'; 


ilil 


;' 


I 


■u 


62 


TOUR    THROUGH    OHIO. 


Chap.  xviu. 


i!   lif'' 


.i  ,  J5 


!;ii 


May  29th. — We  left  Cincinnati  for  Cleveland  on 
Lake  Erie,  a  distance  of  250  miles,  and  our  line  of 
route  took  us  through  the  centre  of  the  State  of  Ohio, 
by  Springfield,  Columbus,  Mount  Vernon,  and  Woos- 
ter,  at  all  which  places  we  slept,  reaching  Cleveland 
on  the  fifth  day. 

In  our  passage  through  Ohio,  we  took  advantage 
of  public  coaches  only  when  they  offered  themselves 
in  the  day-time,  and  always  found  good  private  car- 
riages for  the  rest  of  the  way.  If  some  writers,  who 
have  recently  travelled  in  this  part  of  America,  found 
the  fatigue  of  the  journey  excessive,  it  must  have 
arisen  from  their  practice  of  pushing  on  day  and 
night  over  roads  which  are  in  some  places  really 
dangerous  in  the  dark.  On  our  reaching  a  steep  hill 
north  of  Mount  Vernon,  a  fellow-passenger  pointed 
out  to  me  a  spot  where  the  coach  had  been  lately 
upset  in  the  night.  He  said  that  in  the  course  of  the 
last  three  years  he  had  been  overturned  thirteen 
times  between  Cincinnati  and  Cleveland,  but  being 
an  inside  passenger  had  escaped  without  serious  in- 

In  passing  from  the  southern  to  the  northern  fron- 
tier of  Ohio,  we  left  a  handsome  and  populous  city 
and  fine  roads,  and  found  the  towns  grow  sn.  aller  and 
the  high  road  rougher,  as  wc  advanced.  When 
more  than  half  way  across  the  State,  and  after  leav- 
ing Mount  Vernon,  we  saw  continually  new  clear- 
ings, where  the  felling,  girdling,  and  burning  of  trees 
was  going  on,  and  where  oats  were  growing  amidst 
the  blackened  stumps  on  land  which  had  never  been 
ploughed,  but  only  broken  up  with  the  harrow.  The 
carriage  was  then  jolted  for  a  short  space  over  a 


riAP.  xvin. 

eland  on 
r  line  of 
3  of  Ohio, 
nd  Woos- 
Cleveland 

advantage 
.hemselvcs 
rivato  car- 
rriters,  who 
jrica,  found 
must  have 
)n  day  and 
laces  really 
r  a  steep  hiU 
gcr  pointed 

been  lately 
;oursc  of  the 

ted  thirteen 
|d,  but  being 
serious  in- 

jrthern  fron- 
lopulous  city 
sn.aller  and 
:cd.     When 
^d  after  leav- 
ncvv  clear- 
In 'ng  of  trees 
Iwing  amidst 
never  been 
farrow.    The 
bpace  over  a 


Chap,  xviii. 


TOUR    TiniOUGH    OHIO. 


Qlf 


corduroy  road,  constructed  of  trunks  of  trees  laid 
side  by  side,  while  the  hot  air  of  bHrning  timber 
made  us  impatient  of  the  slow  pace  of  our  carriage. 
We  then  lost  sight  for  many  leagues  of  all  human 
habitations,  except  here  and  there  some  empty  wood- 
on  which  "Mover's  House"  was  in- 


en 


building. 


scribed  in  large  letters.  Here  we  were  told  a  family 
of  emigrants  might  pass  the  night  on  payment  of  a 
small  sum.  At  last  the  road  again  improved,  and  we 
came  to  the  termination  of  the  table  land  of  Ohio,  at 
a  distance  of  about  sixteen  miles  from  Lake  Erie. 
From  this  point  on  the  summit  of  Stony  Hill  we  saw 
at  our  feet  a  broad  and  level  plain  covered  with 
wood ;  and  beyond,  in  the  horizon.  Lake  Erie,  ex- 
tending far  and  wide  like  the  ocean.  We  then  be- 
gan our  descent,  and  in  about  three  hours  reached 
Cleveland. 

The  changes  in  the  condition  of  the  country  which 
we  had  witnessed  are  illustrations  of  the  course  of 
events  which  has  ma.ked  the  progress  of  civilisation 
in  thir,  State,  which  first  began  in  the  south,  and 
spread  from  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  At  a  later  pe- 
riod, when  the  great  Erie  canal  was  finished,  which 
opened  a  free  commercial  intercourse  with  the  river 
Hudson,  New  York,  and  the  Atlantic,  the  nortliem 
frontier  began  to  acquire  wealth  and  an  increase  of 
inhabitants.  Ports  were  founded  on  the  lake,  and 
grew  in  a  few  years  with  almost  unparalleled  rapid- 
ity. The  forest  then  yielded  to  the  axe  in  a  ne-w 
direction,  and  settlers  migrated  from  north  to  soufh, 
leaving  still  a  central  w^ilderness  between  the  Ohio 
and  Lake  Erie.  This  forest  might  have  proved  for 
many  generations  a  serious  obstacle  to  the  progress 


<t  i.ij 


■11 
III 

i 

n 


64 


I'llOGK£SS    OF    OHIO, 


Chap.  xvm. 


of  the  State,  had  not  the  law  wisely  provided  that 
all  non-resident  holders  of  waste  lands  should  bo 
compelled  to  pay  their  full  share  of  taxes  laid  on  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  surrounding  districts  for  new 
schools  and  roads.  If  an  absentee  is  in  arrear,  the 
sheriff  seizes  a  portion  of  his  ground  contiguous  to  a 
town  or  village,  puts  it  up  for  auction,  and  thus  dis- 
charges the  debt,  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  specu- 
lator, indifferent  to  the  local  interests  of  a  district,  to 
wait  year  after  year,  until  he  is  induced  by  a  great 
bribe  to  part  with  his  lands,  all  ready  communication 
between  neighbouring  and  highly  cultivated  regions 
being  in  the  mean  time  cut  off. 

Ohio  was  a  wilderness  exclusively  occupied  by  the 
Indians,  until  near  the  close  of  the  last  century.  In 
1800  its  population  amounted  to  45,365,  in  the  next 
ten  years  it  had  increased  five-fold,  and  in  the  ten 
which  followed  it  again  more  than  doubled.  In  1840 
it  had  reached  1,600,000  souls,  all  free,  and  almost 
without  any  admixture  of  the  coloured  race.  In  this 
short  interval  the  forest  had  been  transformed  into  a 
land  of  steamboats,  canals,  and  flourishing  towns ; 
and  would  have  been  still  more  populous  had  not 
thousands  of  its  new  settlers  migrated  still  farther 
west  into  Indiana  and  Illinois.  A  portion  of  the  pub- 
lic works  which  accelerated  this  marvellous  prosper- 
ity, were  executed  with  foreign  capital,  but  the  inter- 
est of  the  whole  has  been  punctually  paid  by  direct 
taxes.  There  is  no  other  example  in  history,  cither 
in  the  old  or  new  worlJ,  uf  so  sudden  a  rise  of  a 
large  country  to  opulence  and  power.  The  State 
contains  ncarlv  as  wide  an  extent  of  arable  land  as 
England,  all  of  moderate  elevation,  so  rich  in  its 


'I 


Chap,  xviii. 


INCKUASE    OF    I'Ol  ULATION. 


65 


;hap.  xvni. 

vUled  that 
should  be 
laid  on  by 
;ts  for  new 
arrcar,  the 
tiguous  to  a 
nd  thus  dls- 
for  a  specu- 
a  district,  to 
3d  by  a  great 
jmniunication 
,vated  regions 

ccupicd  by  the 
it  century.    ^^^ 
[55,  in  the  next 
^nd  in  the  ten 
,blcd.    In  1840 
•cc,  and  almost 
dracc.    Intlus 
[usfovmcd  into  a 
a-isiung  towns; 
.pulous  had  not 
\U  still  farther 
,rlion  of  the  pub- 
•vcllous  prosper- 
al,buttheinter- 
ly  paid  by  direct 
in  history,  cither 
dden  a  rise  of  a 
^,er.     The  State 
if  arable  land  as 
so  rich  in  it« 


alluvial  plains  as  to  be  cropped  thirty  or  forty  years 
without  manure,  having  abundance  of  line  timber,  a 
temperate  climate,  many  large  navig;iblo  rivers,  a 
ready  communication  through  Lake  Erie  with  the 
north  and  cast,  and  by  the  Ohio  with  the  south  and 
west,  and,  lastly,  abundance  of  coal  in  its  eastern 
counties. 

I  am  informed  that,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
year  (1842),  the  foremost  bands  of  emigrants  have 
reached  the  Platte  River,  a  tributary  of  tlie  Missouri. 
This  point  is  said  to  be  only  half  way  between  the 
Atlantic  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  country 
beyond  the  present  frontier  is  as  fertile  as  that  already 
occupied.  De  Tocqueville  calculated  that  along  the 
borders  of  the  United  States,  from  Lake  Superior  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  extending  a  distance  of  more  than 
1200  miles  as  the  bird  flies,  the  whites  advance  every 
year  at  a  mean  rate  of  seventeen  miles  ;  and  he  truly 
observes  that  there  is  a  grandeur  and  solemnity  in 
this  gradual  and  continuous  march  of  the  European 
race  towards  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  compares 
it  to  "  a  deluge  of  men  rising  unubatedly,  and  daily 
driven  onwards  by  the  hand  of  God."* 

When  conversing  with  a  New  Enghmd  friend  on 
the  progress  of  American  population,  I  was  surprised 
to  learn,  as  a  statistical  fact,  that  there  arc  more 
whites  now  living  in  North  America  than  all  that 
have  died  there  since  the  days  of  Columbus.  It 
seems  probable,  moreover,  that  the  same  remark  may 
hold  true  for  lifty  years  to  come.  The  census  has 
been  very  carefully  taken  in  the  United  States  since 

*  Democracy  in  America,  vol,  ii.,  eh.  x  ,  sect.  i. 


>i 


I  Ii 


(I 


66 


INCREASE    OF    POI'LLATlON.        ChaP.  XVIII. 


r  !  in 


i      Hi 


)      i 


M  m 


the  year  1800,  and  it  appears  that  tho  ratio  of  in- 
crease was  35  per  cent,  for  the  first  decennial  peri- 
ods, and  tiiut  it  gradually  diminished  to  about  S2  per 
cent,  in  the  last.  From  these  data,  Professor  Tucker 
estimates  that,  in  the  year  1850,  the  population  will 
amount  in  round  numbers  to  22  millions,  in  1800  to 
29  millions,  in  1870  to  38  millions,  in  1880  to  50  mil- 
lions, in  1890  to  03  millions,  and  in  1900  to  80  mil- 
lions. 

The  territory  of  the  United  States  is  said  to 
amount  to  one-tenth,  or  at  the  utmost  to  one-eighth 
of  that  colonised  by  Spain  on  the  American  conti- 
nent. Yet  in  all  these  vast  regions  conquered  by 
Cortes  and  Pizarro,  there  are  considerably  less  than 
two  millions  of  people  of  European  blood,  so  that 
they  scarcely  exceed  in  number  the  population  ac- 
quired in  about  half  a  century  in  Ohio,  and  fall  far 
short  of  it  in  wealth  and  civilisation. 

We  were  perfect  strangers  in  our  tour  through 
Ohio,  and,  when  at  inns  and  in  publ'c  conveyances, 
had  many  opportunities  of  hearing  lawyers,  mer- 
chants, farmers,  and  labourers,  conversing  freely  and 
unreservedly  together.  I  have  generally  abstained 
from  retailing  such  gossip,  reflecting  how  small  would 
be  the  value  of  the  opinions  which  an  American 
could  derive  from  a  similar  source,  or  from  talk  over- 
heard in  an  English  railway  or  steamboat.  I  shall, 
however,  depart  slightly  from  my  rule  on  this  occa- 
sion, as  my  readers  may,  perhaps,  be  amused  as  I 
was,  and  will  abstain  from  drawing  general  conclu- 
sions from  the  conversation  of  persons  whom  chance 
has  thrown  in  the  traveller's  way. 

As  soon  as  we  were  recognized  to  be  foreigners. 


Chap.xviii, 

ratio  of  in- 
cnnial  peri- 
bout  32  per 
3Sor  Tucker 
pulation  will 
s,  in  1800  to 
30  to  50  mil- 
80  to  80  mil- 

s  is   said  to 
to  onc-eiglitli 
icrican  conti- 
conqucred  by 
ably  less  than 
blood,  so  that 
popvilation  ac- 
^o,  and  fall  far 

tour  through 
J  conveyances, 
lawyers,  mer- 
:sing  freely  and 
-rally  abstained 
^ow  small  would 
I  an  American 
from  talk  over- 
.mboat.    1  shall, 
lie  on  this  occa- 
je  amused  as  I 
general  conclu- 
,119  whom  chance 

to  be  foreigners, 


Chap,  xviii. 


TOUK    TIIIIOUGII    OHIO. 


67 


I 


we  were  usually  asked  whether  wo  had  made  up 
our  minds  where  we  should  settle.  On  our  declaring 
that,  much  as  \vc  saw  to  like  and  admire  in  America, 
we  had  no  intention  of  exchanging  our  own  country 
for  it,  they  expressed  surprise  that  we  had  seen  so 
many  States,  and  had  not  yet  decided  where  to  set- 
tle. Nothing  makes  an  English  traveller  feel  so  much 
at  home  as  this  common  question.  You  have  arrived 
at  the  domain  of  a  rich  and  hospitable  host,  who  is 
ready  to  welcome  you,  and  where  there  is  ample 
room  and  accommodation  for  all.  Some  of  the  more 
highly  educated  class,  especially  the  lawyers,  ex- 
pressed their  alarm  at  the  growing  strength  of  the 
democratic  party  in  Ohio,  owing  to  the  influx  of  Irish 
and  German  labourers,  nearly  all  Roman  Catholics, 
and  very  ignorant.  These  new  comers,  they  said, 
had  lately  turned  the  elections  against  a  majority  of 
native  Americans,  their  superiors  in  wealth  and  men- 
tal cultivation.  They  also  complained  that  many 
settlers  of  German  origin  from  Pennsylvania  were 
opposed  to  all  improvement,  and  unwilling  to  be 
taxed  for  new  schools,  canals,  and  roads.  They 
were  indifferent  to  the  speedy  arrival  of  letters  and 
daily  newspapers,  and  other  advantages,  for  which 
the  New  Englanders  and  the  Scotch  and  English 
Protestants  would  pay  most  cheerfully.  Yet  they 
allege  that  these  same  Germans,  opposed  as  they  are 
to  all  useful  innovations,  are  in  the  habit  of  giving 
their  votes  to  demagogues,  who  are  prepared  to 
plunge  the  country  into  the  most  headlong  career  of 
political  changes. 

A  thriving  fai'mer,  who  entered  the  coach  at 
Wooster,  spoke  vehemently  against  the  new  tariff, 


i1 


f 


11 


!     t 

I 


m 

-* 


11' 


UH 


riTUMI*    OUATOUV. 


Chap,  xvmi. 


!  i- 


' 


which,  he  said,  would  sacrifice  ihc  aifiiculturists  of 
the  West  to  tlio  New  Eni^land  manufacturers,  vvh'» 
meant  to  comiiol  tlicm  to  buy  tlioir  home-made  goods 
at  a  lii,:i^h  price,  wiiilc  the  raw  produce  of  Oliio  and 
the  West  would  be  sliiit  out  from  tlie  British  market. 
He  also  boasted  to  me  of  the  advantages  they  en- 
joyed in  the  U.  S.,  commiserating  the  lot  of  the  mass 
of  the  people  in  the  old  country,  deprived  of  their 
political  rights,  and  exposed  to  the  tyranny  and  op- 
pression of  the  rich.  By  way  of  drawing  him  out,  I 
told  him  how  I  had  found  the  day  before  a  minister 
preaching  in  Welsh  to  a  congregation  of  three  hun- 
dred persons  in  the  town  of  Columbus — that  these 
and  other  poor  settlers,  Irish  and  German,  were  ig- 
norant of  the  American  laws  and  institutions,  and 
wholly  uneducated.  Ought  they  to  be  permitted  to 
turn  the  elections,  as  I  was  told  they  had  recently 
done  in  Ohio  ?  On  this  he  poured  forth  an  oration 
on  the  ccpiality  of  the  rights  of  all  men,  on  the  invidi- 
ous distinctions  some  desired  to  establish  between 
the  franchise  of  old  and  new  settlers,  on  the  policy 
of  welcoming  new  comers  when  the  population  was 
sparse,  on  the  advantages  of  common  schools,  and, 
lastly,  on  the  evil  of  endowing  universities,  which  he 
said  were  "  hot-beds  of  aristocrats."  While  descant- 
ing on  these  and  other  topics,  the  tone  of  his  voice 
grew  louder  and  louder  as  his  warmth  increased,  and 
when  he  left  the  public  coach,  a  lawyer  of  Ohio  con- 
gratulated me  that  I  could  now  understand  what  is 
meant  in  the  United  States  by  "  stump  oratory,"  or 
that  l\ind  of  declamation  which  is  addressed  by  a  can- 
didate for  popular  favour  from  the  stump  of  a  tree  in 
a  new  cl  taring. 


Chap.  xvmi. 


roMTiriANfl  w  OHIO. 


00 


CuAP.  xvni. 

lulturists  of 
tiircrs,  \vh'> 
made  goods 
jt'  Ohio  and 
tish  market. 
Tcs  they  cn- 
L  of  the  mass 
ived  of  their 
inny  and  op- 
iig  him  out,  1 
»rc  a  minister 
of  three  hun- 
g_that  these 
man,  were  ig- 
jtitulions,  and 
;  permitted  to 
had  recently 
th  an  oration 
on  the  invidi- 
IbUsh  between 
on  the  policy 
lopulation  was 
schools,  and, 
[itics,  which  he 
A^'hile  descant- 
e  of  his  voice 
increased,  and 
:r  of  Ohio  con- 
rstand  what  is 
Ip  oratory,"  or 
cssed  by  a  can- 
mp  of  a  tree  in 


On  another  occasion,  the  respective  merits  of  Mr. 
Van  Buron,  Mr.  Clay,  and  others,  were  canvassed, 
and  an  animated  discussion  took  place  on  their  n  !a- 
tive  claims  to  fill  the  presidential  cliair  at  the  next 
general  election.  I  expressed  surprise  that,  as  there 
were  still  three  years  to  run  of  Mr.  Tyler's  olficial 
career,  they  should  be  mooting  this  question  already. 
The  whole  country  had  been  so  recently  convulsed 
by  the  severe  contest  between  Harrison  and  Van 
Buren,  in  which  parties  had  been  so  nearly  balanced, 
that  it  was  surely  inexpedient  that  the  minds  of  the 
people  shoKld  be  again  excited  and  unsetl!''d.  I  en- 
larged on  the  superior  advantages  of  an  hereditary 
monarchy,  as  preventing  the  recurrence  of  such  dan- 
gerous agitation,  and  was  prepared  for  a  retaliatory 
attack  upon  the  kingly  office,  and  a  eulogy  on  the 
superiority  of  the  American  constitution.  But  Ame- 
ricans at  home,  however  loyal  and  patriotic,  and  as 
little  disposed  to  change  their  form  of  government 
for  a  monarchy  as  we  are  to  turn  republicans,  are, 
nevertheless,  by  no  means  optimists.  When  they 
travel  in  England,  they  acquire  a  habit  of  standing 
on  the  defensive,  from  hearing  John  Bull  object  to 
everything  in  which  their  laws  and  institutions  may 
happen  to  differ  from  his  own.  But  in  the  United 
States,  I  frequently  heard  politicians  deplore  the  pro- 
gress of  democracy,  argue  that  the  president  ought 
to  be  elected  for  six  years  instead  of  four,  that  ho 
should  not  be  re-eligible,  that  there  should  be  no 
veto,  and  contend  for  other  organic  changes.  In  re- 
ply to  my  sally,  one  of  the  party,  who  had  previously 
expressed  his  fears  that  General  Harrison's  death 
would  lead  to  the  democratic  party  regaining  their 


I'i 


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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
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33  Wilt  MAIN  SraHT 

WIKni,N.Y.  I4SM 

(7I*)«73.49M 


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w 


NEW   SETTLEIIS   IN    OHIO. 


Chap,  xviii. 


ascendancy,  remarked, "  The  most  disastrous  periods, 
sir,  in  your  history,  were  the  wars  of  a  disputed  suc- 
cession. We  are  always  engaged  in  a  civil  war  of 
this  kind."  By  way  of  consolation,  I  reminded  him 
that,  at  all  events,  there  had  been  less  bloodshed  in 
their  battles  for  the  chief  magistracy  than  in  our  con- 
tests for  the  rightful  heirs  to  a  throne.  He  replied, 
"  Yes,  there  has  been  less  destruction  of  the  body, 
but  not  of  the  soul.  A  president  who  has  60,000 
places  in  his  gift  holds  in  his  hands  far  greater  means 
of  bribery  and  corruption  than  did  your  Harry  the 
Eighth,  even  after  he  had  seized  upon  the  property 
of  the  monasteries." 

One  of  my  travelling  companions  in  Ohio  assured 
me  that  agricultural  labourers  from  the  Lowlands  of 
Scotland  were  the  best  settlers  of  all  who  came  direct 
from  Europe.  Some  of  these  had  arrived  with  a 
large  family,  and  with  no  money  even  to  buy  the  im- 
plements of  husbandry,  and  had  in  twelve  years  be- 
come the  owners  of  300  acres  of  cleared  land,  in 
which  the  log-house  was  replaced  by  a  neat  farm 
building,  called  a  frame-house,  with  a  small  garden 
attached  to  it.  They  laugh  here  at  the  common 
error  into  which  new  settlers  fall,  who  possess  some 
money,  and  have  been  accustomed  to  English  farm- 
ing, especially  their  diligence  in  uprooting  stumps, 
which  have  so  slovenly  an  appearance.  This  prac- 
tice seems  to  be  in  their  eyes  the  most  unequivocal 
test  of  extreme  ignorance  of  the  relative  value  of  la- 
bour and  land  in  a  new  country.  Foreigners  who 
have  a  small  capital  should  always  settle  in  districts 
which  have  been  already  cleared,  and  broken  up  by 
the  plough. 


!■  m^ 


Chap,  xviii. 


Chap.  six. 


CLEVELAND. 


71 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


Cleveland. — Ridges  of  Sand  and  Gravel  along  the  Southern 
Coast  of  Lake  Erie.— Their  Origin.— Fredonia ,  Streets 
lighted  with  natural  Gas. — Falls  of  JViagara. — Burning 
Spring. — Passing  behind  the  FeUls. — Daguerreotype  of  the 
Falls. — Boulder  Formation  of  Whirlpool,  and  Valley  of  St. 
David^s.— Glacial  polishing  and  Fhirrows. — Influence  of  Ice- 
bergs on  Drift. 


)  ■;;! 


June  3,  1842. — The  morning  after  my  arrival  at 
Cleveland,  Dr.  Kirtland,  the  zoologist,  took  me  to 
Rockport,  about  four  miles  to  the  west,  and  after- 
wards to  the  ravine  of  a  torrent  called  the  Rocky 
River,  about  six  miles  farther,  in  the  same  direction, 
that  I  might  examine  in  both  places  what  are  here 
called  the  Lake  Ridges.  Like  the  "  ridge  road"  of 
Lake  Ontario  before  described  (Vol.  I.,  p.  24),  they 
resemble  ancient  beaches,  running  parallel  to  the 
shores  of  Lake  Erie,  and  being  composed  of  sand  and 
gravel. 

At  the  point  which  I  first  visited,  in  the  town  of 
Rockport,  Lake  Erie  is  bounded  by  a  perpendicular 
clifl'  (A,  fig.  10),  about  seventy-five  feet  high,  at  the 
base  of  which  the  water  is  so  deep,  that,  in  some 
places,  it  can  only  be  approached  in  a  boat.  Hori- 
zontal beds  of  shale,  with  some  layers  of  sandstone, 
appear  cut  off  abruptly  in  the  face  of  this  cliff",  all 
referable  to  the  Hamilton  group.  No.  10  of  Map  PI. 
n.,  or  the  lowest  part  of  the  Devonian  series  (F). 
Proceeding  from  the  summit  of  the  cliff"  inland,  we 
find  the  surface  of  the  country  covered  with  clay  (6), 


ill 


t' 


'ii: 


u,.  i 


'•|ii 


r   ■' 

1!   ■          ,  ■  i 

14 

1  ill 

72 


"  LAKE   ridges"   NEAR   CLEVELAND.        Chap.  XIX. 


sloping  gently,  so  that,  in  half  a  mile,  there  is  a  rise 
of  about  forty  feet,  and  we  then  come  to  the  bottom 
of  the  first  or  northernmost  ridge  (c),  which  is  about 
fifteen  feet  high,  rising  at  an  angle  of  about  12°, 
both  on  its  northern  and  southern  slope.  Between 
this  and  the  next  ridge  (rf),  which  is  about  half  a 


Nortb 


Soath 


"  iMke  Ridgtt"  near  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

mile  distant,  extends  a  line  of  swamps  and  marshes, 
some  of  them  several  hundred  acres  in  extent.  Two 
other  parallel  ridges  of  sand  and  gravel  are  observa- 
ble still  farther  inland  or  southwards,  the  distance  of 
each  varying  greatly  according  *o  the  general  slope 
of  the  land,  for  the  same  ridge  occasionally  ap- 
proaches within  a  mile  of  the  shore  at  one  point,  and 
recedes  to  the  distance  of  eleven  miles  from  it  at 
another,  apparently  preserving  everywhere  the  same 
level.  ■ 

Boulders  of  granite,  some  of  them  three  feet  in 
diameter,  which  must  have  come  from  the  north  side 
of  Lake  Erie,  are  scattered  sparingly  here  and  there 
as  at  e,  Jig.  10.  I  could  not  obtain  any  fossil  shells 
from  any  of  these  ridges,  although  some  are  said  to 
have  been  found,  together  with  fragments  of  wood, 
similar  to  those  now  thrown  up  on  the  beach  of  the 
lake.  The  shells  might  at  once  decide  the  point 
whether  the  ridges  are  of  marine  or  freshwater  ori- 
gin.   If  this  were  settled,  another  and  distinct  ques- 


Chap.  ««• 

re  is  a  rise 
the  bottom 
[ch  is  about 
about  12°, 
Between 
ibout  half  a 


Chap.  xix. 


**  LAKE   ridges"    NEAR   CLEVELAND. 


78 


and  marshes, 
extent.    Two 
I  are  observa- 
he  distance  of 
!  general  slope 
casionally  ap- 
one  point,  and 
iles  from  it  at 
here  the  same 

three  feet  in 
the  north  side 
[here  and  there 
Iny  fossil  shells 
[me  are  said  to 
nents  of  wood, 
te  beach  of  the 
Icide  the  point 
[freshwater  ori- 
Id  distinct  ques- 


tion  would  still  remain  ;  namely,  whether  they  were 
for  the  most  part  formed  at  first  under  water,  like 
sand-bars  at  the  mouth  of  rivers ;  or  were  thrown 
up  by  the  waves  on  the  margins  of  ancient  sheets  of 
water,  in  the  manner  of  beaches. 

The  section  which  I  saw  on  the  banks  of  the  Rocky 
River  appeared  to  me  to  favour  the  theory  of  the 
subaqueous  origin  of  the  ridges.  This  torrent,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  above  its  mouth,  flows  in  a  narrow 
ravine,  scarcely  more  than  thirty  yards  wide,  with 
perpendicular  cliffs  on  each  side,  110  feet  high! 
When  we  arrive  at  the  point  where  the  ravine  inter- 
sects the  second  of  the  Rockport  ridges  before  al- 
luded to  (rf,  Jig,  10),  we  see  the  river-cliff  suddenly 
heightened  by  the  addition,  for  a  short  space,  of  a 
bank  of  sand  and  gravel,  about  30  feet  high,  the  peb- 
bles in  the  ridge  being  rounded  like  those  on  the  lake 
shore,  and  proving  that  the  bank  was  never  a  mere 
dune  of  blown  sand. 

If  we  imagine  bars  or  banks  of  sand  and  pebbles 
to  have  been  formed  in  succession  near  the  shore  in 
shallow  water,  and  then  cut  through  by  torrents  when 
the  land  was  elevated,  we  can  explain  the  abrupt 
manner  in  which  the  ridge  determinates  on  each  side 
of  a  ravine  evidently  excavated  by  the  torrent  in  soil 
shale  since  the  emergence  of  the  strata.  But  it  is 
difficult  to  imagine  how  an  ancient  beach,  formed 
where  a  stream  entered  a  lake  or  sea,  could  have 
been  so  straight  and  continuous,  and  so  little  modi- 
fied and  rounded  off  in  its  outline  conforming  to  the 
shape  of  the  small  bay,  which  must  have  existed  at 
the  entrance  of  a  stream.  It  will  be  unnecessary, 
however,  to  dwell  longer  on  this  question  at  present, 

VOL.    IL  8 


u- 


1  d 


■!i 


'!• 


>t| 


y . 


:i|, 


74 


NATURAL   GAS,   FREDONIA. 


Chap.  xtx. 


|J 


'«j.ii 


as  I  shall  resume  the  subject  wh'^n  discussing  the  na- 
ture and  origin  of  the  "  lake  ridges"  near  Toronto. 

The  town  of  Cleveland  is  built  on  a  terrace  of 
stratified  clay  and  sand,  the  height  of  which  is  103 
feet  above  the  lake.  Its  depth  is  unknown,  the  fun- 
damental Devonian  (or  Hamilton)  strata  being  con- 
cealed here,  so  that  the  newer  deposit  exclusively 
occupies  the  lake  shore  for  forty  miles.  As  several 
rivers  besides  the  Cuyahoga  of  Cleveland  cut  wind- 
ing courses  through  this  terrace,  we  may  presume 
that  these  rivers  existed  when  the  water  stood  100 
feet  higher  relatively  to  the  land.  If  so,  we  seem  to 
have  here  an  upraised  delta  formed  of  the  materials 
brought  down  by  streams  before  the  waters  had  sunk 
to  their  present  relative  level.  The  nature  of  the 
sand  and  clay  is  such  as  rivers  might  have  washed 
down  from  the  land  above,  but  no  shells  have  been 
discovered,  although  diligently  searched  for,  during 
the  excavation  of  a  ship  canal  and  other  works  in 
the  town.  The  tooth  of  a  mastodon,  however,  was 
shown  me  as  having  been  found  low  down  in  the 
clay. 

June  5. — Sailed  in  a  steamboat  to  Fredonia,  a 
town  of  1200  inhabitants,  with  neat  white  houses, 
and  six  churches.  The  streets  are  lighted  up  with 
natural  gas,  which  bubbles  up  out  of  the  ground,  and 
is  received  into  a  gasometer,  which  I  visited.  This 
gas  consists  of  carburetted  hydrogen,  and  issues  from 
a  black  bituminous  slate,  one  of  the  beds  of  the 
Hamilton  group  of  the  New  York  geologists,  or  part 
of  the  Devonian  formation  of  Europe.  The  light- 
house-keeper at  Fredonia  told  me  that,  near  the  shore, 
at  a  consideirable  distance  from  the  gasometer,  he 


CflKV.  ttf- 

ing  the  na- 
T  or  onto. 
^  terrace  oi 
rhicb  is  103 
wn,  the  fun- 
a  being  con- 
t  exclusively 
^s  several 
tnd  cut  wind- 
may  Presume 
,ter  stood  100 
so,  we  seem  to 
,f  the  materials 
waters  had  sunk 
e  nature  of  the 
ht  have  washed 
shells  have  been 

Uhed  for,  dunng 
1  other  works  m 
,n,  however,  was 

low  down  in  the 

to  Fredonia,  a 
ieat  white  houses, 
fe  lighted  up  with 
^oftfe  ground  and 

Lhl  visited.    This 
fen,  and  issues  rojn 

If  the  beds  of  the 

l^-f^riS 
P^-'^t^h; 

I  ^i,e  gasometer,  he 


Chap.  xix. 


BURNING   SPRINGS — NIAGARA. 


75 


I 


bored  a  hole  through  this  black  slate,  and  the  gas 
soon  collected  in  sufficient  quantity  to  explode,  when 
ignited. 

There  is  a  ridge  of  sand  at  Fredonia,  as  at  many 
other  places,  between  Cleveland  and  the  outlet  of  the 
Niagara  from  Lake  Erie,  but  I  tried  in  vain  to  iden- 
tify the  ridges  with  those  seen  by  me  at  Rockport, 
and  could  not  discover  that  their  heights,  as  estimated 
by  residents,  agreed  at  different  places.  Some  of 
them,  indeed,  according  to  Mr.  Whittlesey,  the  en- 
gineer, decline  in  altitude  as  they  are  traced  east- 
ward. 

We  next  reached  Buffalo,  and  found  so  many  new 
buildings  erected  since  the  preceding  autumn,  and 
new  shops  opened,  that  we  were  amazed  at  the  pro- 
gress of  things,  at  a  time  when  all  are  complaining 
of  the  unprecedented  state  of  depression  under 
which  the  commerce  and  industry  of  the  country  are 
suffering. 

At  the  Falls  of  Niagara,  where  we  next  spent  a 
week,  residing  in  a  hotel  on  the  Canada  side,  I  re- 
sumed my  geological  explorations  of  last  summer. 
Every  part  of  the  scenery,  from  Grand  Island  above 
the  Falls  to  the  Ferry  at  Queenstov/n,  seven  miles 
below,  deserves  to  be  studied  at  leisure. 

We  visited  the  "  burning  spring"  at  the  edge  of 
the  river  above  the  rapids,  where  carburetted  hy- 
drogen, or,  in  the  modern  chemical  phraseology,  a 
light  hydro-carbon,  similar  to  that  before  mentioned 
at  Fredonia,  rises  from  beneath  the  water  out  of  the 
limestone  rock.  The  bituminous  matter  supplying 
this  gas  is  probably  of  animal  origin,  as  this  limestone 
is  full  of  marine  mollusca,  Crustacea,  and  corals,  with- 


fii  1 


■I 


^ 


76 


PASSING   BEHIND   THE   FALLS.         ChaP.  UX. 


nil 


out  vegetable  remains,  unless  some  fucoids  may  have 
decomposed  in  the  same  strata.  The  invisible  gas 
makes  its  way  in  countless  bubbles  through  the  clear 
transparent  waters  of  the  Niagara.  On  the  applica- 
tion of  a  lighted  candle,  it  takes  fire,  and  plays  about 
with  a  lambent  flickering  flame,  which  seldom  touches 
the  water,  the  gas  being  at  first  too  pure  to  be  inflam- 
mable,  and  only  obtaining  sufficient  oxygen  after 
mingling  with  the  atmosphere  at  the  height  of  several 
inches  above  the  surface  of  the  stream. 

At  noon,  on  a  hot  summer's  day,  we  were  tempted, 
contrary  to  my  previous  resolution,  to  perform  the 
exploit  of  passing  under  the  great  sheet  of  water  be- 
tween the  precipice  and  the  Horse-shoe  Fall.  We 
were  in  some  degree  rewarded  for  this  feat  by  the 
singularity  of  the  scene,  and  the  occasional  openings 
in  the  curtain  of  white  foam  and  arch  of  green  water, 
which  afford  momentary  glimpses  of  the  woody  ra- 
vine and  river  below,  fortunately  for  us  lighted  up 
most  brilliantly  by  a  midday  sun.  We  had  only  one 
guide,  which  is  barely  sufficient  for  safety  when  there 
are  two  persons,  for  a  stranger  requires  support  when 
he  loses  his  breath  by  the  violent  gusts  of  wind  dash- 
ing the  spray  and  water  in  his  face.  If  he  turns 
round  to  recover,  the  blast  often  changes  in  an  in- 
stant, and  blows  as  impetuously  against  him  in  the 
opposite  direction. 

The  Falls,  though  continually  in  motion,  have  all 
the  effect  of  a  fixed  and  unvarying  feature  in  the 
landscape,  like  the  two  magnificent  fountains  in  the 
great  court  before  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  which  seem 
to  form  as  essential  a  part  of  one  architectural  whole 
as  the  stately  colonnade,  or  the  massive  dome  itsel£ 


H 


may  have 
risible  ga« 
n  the  clear 
tie  applica- 
)lay8  aboat 
om  touches 
obeinflam- 
nygen  after 
^t  of  several 

ere  tempted, 
perform  the 
of  water  be- 
,eFall.    We 
is  feat  by  the 
ional  openings 
,f  green  water, 
the  woody  ra- 
us  lighted  up 
J  had  only  one 
5ty  when  there 
support  when 
of  wind  dash- 
If  he  turns 
[nges  in  an  in- 
ist  him  in  the 

[lotion,  have  all 
feature  in  the 
Duntains  in  the 
ne,  which  seem 

^Uectural  whole 

live  dome  itseli 


Chap.  xiz. 


DRIFT   AT    WHIRLPOOL. 


77 


% 


However  strange,  therefore,  it  may  seem,  some  Da- 
guerreotype representations  of  the  Falls  have  been 
executed  with  no  small  success.  They  not  only  re- 
cord the  form  of  the  rocks  and  islands,  but  even  the 
leading  features  of  the  cataract,  and  the  shape  of  the 
clouds  of  spray.  I  often  wished  that  Father  Hen- 
nepin could  have  taken  one  of  these  portraits,  and 
bequeathed  it  to  the  geologists  of  our  times.  It 
would  have  afforded  us  no  slight  aid  in  our  specula- 
tions respecting  the  comparative  state  of  the  ravine 
in  the  19th  and  17th  centuries. 

After  one  or  two  warm  days,  the  weather  became 
unusually  cold  for  the  month  of  June,  with  occasional 
frosts  at  night,  and  the  humming'-birds  which  we  had 
seen  before  reaching  Buffalo  appeared  no  more  dur- 
ing our  stay  here. 

In  my  visits  to  Grand  Island,  Lewiston,  and  St 
Catherines,  I  made  some  of  the  observations  already 
alluded  to  in  the  first  volume  (ch.  iL,  p.  27) ;  and  I 
shall  now  confine  myself  to  remarks  on  the  connec- 
tion of  certain  strata  of  drift  which  appear  at  the 
Whirlpool,  and  similar  deposits  observable  in  the 
valley  of  St.  David's,  about  three  miles  west  of 
Queenstown,  where  there  is  an  opening  in  the  escarp- 
ment, as  shown  in  the  bird's-eye  view  (PI.  I.),  and  in 
the  map  of  the  Niagara  district  (PI.  III.).  In  the 
former  view  (PI.  I.),  a  small  chasm  is  introduced  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  Niagara  at  the  whirlpool,  to  mark 
the  only  spot  where  the  continuity  of  the  older  form- 
ations (the  limestone,  shale,  and  subjacent  rocks)  is 
broken  between  the  Falls  and  Queenstown.  This 
interruption  occurs  precisely  opposite  the  summer- 
house  (e.fig*  11). 

8» 


¥. 


:  I 


^1* 


■  if 


-"^  -'',■■■ 


III 


■.::l:! 


78 


BOULDER   FORMATION    BETWEEN  CuAF.  XIX 


Fif.  11. 


C<mr$e  of  the  Niagara  at  the  Whirlpool. 

«,  h,  BtrcamlotM  which  are  thrown  in  eaacadei  over  the  limestone  precipice,  aner 
cutting  through  luperficial  red  drift,  twenty-flva  feet  thiclc. 

c.  Bowman'a  Run. 

i.  Small  gulloy,  between  which  and  e  the  clifib  consist  of  drift. 

t.  Summer  house,  where  sand  with  f^esh-water  shells  restt  on  the  top  of  the  pr«- 
eipiee.   See  fig,  3,  Vol.  I.,  p.  40. 

/,  g.  PnAable  course  of  the  ancient  valley,  now  filled  with  drift. 

The  river  cliff,  from  c  to  rf,  or  for  a  distance  of 
about  170  yards,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  whirl- 
pool, consists  exclusively  of  strata  of  sand,  loam  and 
gravel ;  the  latter  in  parts  cemented  together  into  a 
conglomerate,  and  all  belonging  to  the  drift  or  boul- 
der formation.  The  visible  thickness  of  this  modern 
deposit  is  about  300  feet,  but  we  know  not  to  what 
depth  it  may  extend  below  the  level  of  the  Niagara. 
It  appears  clearly  that  there  was  here  an  original 
valley,  which  was  afterwards  completely  filled  up 
with  stratified  drift.     The  same  red  clay  which 


Chap.  xix. 


WIHRLPOOL   AND   BT.    DAVId'.. 


7» 


70 

ronce  of  which  J    .  "'^  ""=  ■""''-  "'o  occur- 

bo  connoe  Jw  ,h TX?^-''!'' '»  »« 'ha.  i.  might 

Which  ue4:rd,t:„ti'°  "■"  r'""^-'- 

On  a  close  inspection  o^T.-^r^""  """• 
«wecn  .  and  d.  i^e  find "t  L  t  ' '°  ""=  <='"^»  ''»- 

"f/ed  clay,  from  twen  l To  .hirr^"  "'  ""=  '»P 
wliich  is  a  conglomerl  ilnl  ^^  1'"  "''"''■  '^'"^ 
ni'ic  and  .rappea^^^Jk; 'of      !?  ''°"'''="  "'S"- 
'vi.h fragment; of  Jn 'a™  "r""""  °"S'»'  ""^d 
gular  block  of  .he  lauer  il  foT    T'™""    O""  «»" 
diameter,  having  been       .,      f'  """"  ^"''^n  feet  in 

original  wal,  ^f  .t"  h/sm  d^'''''"''^''  ''"'^  "•" 
Below  this  come  bed,  of  1  "™»  '"  denudation. 

;»hich  succeed  gravel  cemelt':f  ■''"''''  »''  '<»"".  to 
by  carbonate  of  lime  .hniKM  'T  *  <=°"S'omerate 
"-stone,  and  ho™bleSc ^  n"?  "^^ <"'»-• 

:S:^-,aminatedc,a,s,ting?hfl*:-t 

4'::*rr:arci\fr  °^"'-  •»- 

'and,  and  pas,  over  i,  for  ,!!"'      '"'"'  "^  ""=  'aWe- 
«o  enter  the  depre„i»!*;  ^h  "d'  f         "  "^  '"''"' 
came,  us  down  to  St!  Savid^''°°?f"'°«  f  adually, 
frely  excavated  in  the  bouW»    r        ^''^^  «  »- 
•nay  infer  that  the  latter  S         ™"'""'  ""d  we 
twcen  St.  David's  and  the  wt'l"  "r  1""  ''^P"'  "-O" 
obtained  in  sinking  weUsrl    ^       "  ''"'■°"' 
fe    ^"^  ""he  mtervening  fc,;^hi 


■•i 


■  U 


60 


VALLEY   OP  0T.    DAVlo'fl. 


Chav.  xtx. 


of  Stamford,  where  a  great  thickness  of  drift  was 
passed  through. 

In  the  bird's-eye  view  (PI.  I.,  Vol.  I.),  the  valley  of 
St.  David's  is  represented,  for  want  of  more  space, 
as  of  small  width  ;  but  it  is,  in  fact,  about  two  miles 
broad  at  its  mouth,  so  that  it  bears  no  resemblance 
to  the  deep  narrow  chasm  in  which  the  Niagara 
flows.  One  end  of  it  seems  to  have  terminated  ori- 
ginally in  an  angle  at  the  point  where  the  whirlpool 
is  now  situated  ;  and  the  sections  laid  open  in  the 
gulleys  (c  and  d^  fig.  1 1)  show  that  the  walls  of  the 
ancient  hollow  were  not  perpendicular,  but  consisted 
of  a  succession  of  precipices  and  ledges.  I  was  in- 
formed that,  near  St.  David's,  an  outlier  of  quartzose 
sandstone,  (a^,  fig.  12),  was  found  by  boring  through 
the  drift,  which  may,  therefore,  have  projected  like 
an  island  in  the  middle  of  the  original  valley  or 
channel. 

The  accompanying  diagram  will,  probably,  convey 
a  correct  notion  of  the  manner  in  which  the  drift 
rests  upon  the  older  rocks  near  the  northwestern  end 
of  the  valley  of  St.  David's.  The  outline  of  the 
older  formation  given  in  this  transverse  section  is,  in 
fact,  the  same  as  that  presented  by  the  same  rocks  in 
those  parts  of  the  escarpment  east  and  west  of  Lew- 
iston  and  Queenstown,  where  the  face  of  the  cliff  is 
not  masked  by  drift. 

I  shall  afterwards  describe  cavities,  or  ancient  val- 
leys, intersecting  the  old  Silurian  rocks  near  Quebec, 
which  have  been  filled  up  with  transported  materials, 
in  which  marine  shells  of  recent  species,  and  of  a 
northern  or  arctic  character,  have  been  discovered. 
These  shells  have  also  been  found  in  the  drift  of  the 


Lha».  x«- 

drift  was 

s  valley  of 
ore  space, 
two  miles 
■semblance 
e  Niagara 
linated  ori- 
e  whirlpool 
,pen  in  the 
walls  of  the 
ut  consisted 
1  was  in- 
of  quartzose 
ring  through 
)ro3ected  like 
lal  valley  or 

,ably,  convey 
lich  the  drift 
hwestern  end 
)utline  of  the 
3  section  is,  in 
same  rocks  in 
west  of  Lew- 
of  the  cliff  is 

or  ancient  val- 
:s  near  Quebec, 
Dried  materials, 
ecies,  and  of  a 
sen  discovered, 
the  drift  of  the 


Chap,  xtx. 


But 


OLA,CIAL    rUKROWi. 

rig.  n. 


S»fp»$$4  «Mti«N  •/  drift  and  $ultitetnt  rteki  in  valtiy  of  St.  Davidt. 

a.  Lodge  of  quartioM  (Medina)  tanditone. 
t,  Led^  ?  of  Cllnloa  limctlone. 

c.  Plalfonn  of  Niagara  llmMtona. 

d.  General  covering  of  drlA  or  boulder  formatioa. 

valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  at  elevations  of  more 
than  500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  or  nearly  as 
high  as  Lake  Erie,  so  that  I  consider  it  to  be  a  mere 
local  accident  that  none  of  the  same  are  preserved, 
or  have  yet  been  met  with  in  the  Niagara  district. 

Professor  Emmons  has  shown  that,  on  the  removal 
of  the  clay  and  sand  containing  those  marine  shells 
in  the  valley  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  rocks  beneath 
are  polished  and  furrowed,  and  similar  phenomena 
are  observed  in  the  region  now  under  consideration 
between  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario.  If  the  reader 
will  glance  at  the  frontispiece  (PI.  L),  he  will  see 
in  the  distance  a  zone  of  country  (No.  1)  bounding 
Lake  Erie,  part  of  which  consists  of  an  upper  Silurian 
limestone,  called  in  New  York  the  Corniferous.  It 
occurs  at  Black  Rock  among  other  places  (see  Map, 
PI.  III.).  It  is  very  hard,  contains  many  corals,  and 
has  nodules  of  flint  or  chert  dispersed  through  it  in 
horizontal  beds.  The  upper  surface  of  this  rock, 
when  the  boulder  clay  is  removed,  appears  smoothed 
or  polished,  and  usually  scored  with  long  parallel 
furrows.  But  the  nodules  of  chert,  although  much 
rubbed  down  and  worn,  stand  out  slightly  in  relief, 
while  narrow  elongated  ridges  of  limestone  are  seen 


,,■,,. 


.  1 


1. 


Hi 


• 


82 


GLACIAL    FURROWS. 


Chap.  xix. 


extending  from  the  southern  end  of  each  nodule, 
marking  the  space  where  the  softer  rock  has  been 
protected  for  a  short  distance  from  the  triturating 
action  which  ground  down  the  whole. 

Mr.  George  E.  Hayes  of  Buffalo  showed  me  large 
specimens  of  the  polished  rock,  on  which  these 
markings  were  conspicuous  ;  and  he  and  Mr.  Haskin 
have  ascertained  that  the  general  direction  of  the 
grooves  in  this  region  is  N.E.  and  S.W.,  or  N.  35°  E. 
They  are  traced  over  the  broad  platform  of  the 
Niagara  limestone  No.  3  (see  Frontispiece  and  Map, 
PI,  HI.),  retaining  the  same  course  wherever  the 
drift  is  removed ;  and,  what  is  still  more  remarkable, 
as  Mr.  Hall  pointed  out  to  me,  near  Lewiston  and 
Lockport,  they  are  imprinted  at  different  levels  on 
the  projecting  shelves  formed  by  the  more  solid  rocks 
of  the  great  escarpment.  Suppose,  for  example,  the 
drift  d  {jig.  12,  p.  81)  to  be  removed  from  the  ledge 
of  quartzose  sandstone,  a,  and  from  the  surface  of  the 
upper  edge  .of  Clinton  limestone,  6,  and  from  c, — we 
should  find  everywhere  grooves  running  nearly  in 
the  direction  N.E.  and  S.W. 

Some  geologists  have  considered  these  facts  as 
very  difficult  to  reconcile  with  the  glacial  theory. 
To  me  they  appear  to  indicate  the  following  suc- 
cession of  events.  First,  the  country  represented 
in  the  frontispiece  (PI.  I.)  acquired  its  present 
geographical  configuration,  so  far  as  relates  to  the 
outline  of  the  older  rocks,  under  the  joint  influence 
of  elevatory  and  denuding  operations.  Secondly ;  a 
gradual  submergence  then  took  place,  bringing  down 
each  part  of  the  land  successively  to  the  level  of  the 
waters,  and  then  to  a  moderate  depth  below  them. 


l)  {' 


Chap.  xix. 

tch  nodule, 

i  has  been 

triturating 

ed  me  large 
vhich  these 
LMr.Haskin 
jctionof  the 
orN.35°E. 
tform  of  the 
3ce  and  Map, 
svherever  the 
e  remarkable, 
Lewiston  and 
rent  levels  on 
,ore  solid  rocks 
r  example,  the 
from  the  ledge 
3  surface  of  the 
id  from  c,— we 
aung  nearly  in 

these  facts  as 
glacial  theory, 
following  suc- 
xy  represented 
ed    its    present 
relates  to  the 
joint  influence 
.    Secondly;  a 
bringing  down 
the  level  of  the 
>th  below  them. 


Chap.  xiz. 


ACTION    OF   ICEBERGS. 


83 


Large  islands  and  bergs  of  floating  ice  came  from 
the  north,  which,  as  they  grounded  on  the  coast  and 
on  shoals,  pushed  along  all  loose  materials  of  sand  and 
J  cbbles,  broke  off"  all  angular  and  projecting  points 
of  rock,  and  when  fragments  of  hard  stone  were 
frozen  into  their  lower  surfaces,  scooped  out  grooves 
in  the  subjacent  solid  strata.  The  sloping  beach,  as 
well  as  the  level  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  even  occa- 
sionally the  face  of  a  steep  cliff",  might  all  be  polished 
and  grooved  by  this  machinery ;  but  no  flood  of  water, 
however  violent,  or  however  great  the  quantity  of 
detritus,  or  size  of  the  rocky  fragments  swept  along 
by  it,  could  produce  straight,  parallel  furrows,  such 
as  are  everywhere  visible  in  the  district  under 
consideration. 

Mr.  John  L.  Hayes,  in  an  able  paper  recently 
published,  on  the  influence  of  icebergs  upon  drift,  has 
shown,  from  a  great  variety  of  testimony,  that  they 
have  a  remarkable  steadiness  of  motion,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  larger  portion  of  their  bulk  being 
deep  under  water,  so  that  they  are  not  perceptibly 
moved  by  the  winds  and  waves,  even  in  the  strongest 
gales.  Many  had  supposed  that  the  magnitude 
attributed  to  ice-islands  by  unscientific  navigators 
had  been  exaggerated,  but  it  appears  that  their  esti- 
mate of  their  dimensions  has  rather  fallen  within 
than  beyond  the  truth.  Many  of  the  icebergs,  care- 
fully measured  by  the  officers  of  the  French  ex- 
ploring expedition  of  the  Astrolabe,  were  between 
100  and  225  feet  high,  and  from  two  to  five  miles 
in  length.  Captain  D'Urville  ascertained  one  of  these 
bergs,  floating  in  the  Southern  Ocean,  to  be  thirteen 
miles  long,  and  a  hundred  feet  high,  with  walls  per- 


ife! 


li 


:!• 


if 

h    III 


:i    V- 


iU- 


m 


V. 


84 


ACTION   OF   ICEBERGS. 


Chap.  xxx. 


fectly  vertical.  The  submerged  portions  of  such 
islands  must,  according  to  the  weight  of  ice  relatively 
to  sea-water,  be  from  six  to  eight  times  more  con- 
siderable than  the  part  which  is  visible,  so  that  the 
mechanical  power  they  may  have  exerted  when  fairly 
set  in  motion  must  be  prodigious.* 

To  return  to  the  succession  of  geological  changes 
which  immediately  preceded  the  present  period  in  the 
Niagara  district : — Thirdly,  after  the  surface  of  the 
rocks  had  been  smoothed  and  grated  upon  by  the  pas- 
sage of  innumerable  icebergs,  the  clay,  gravel,  and 
sand  of  the  drift  were  deposited,  and  occasionally  frag- 
ments of  rock,  both  large  and  small,  which  has  been 
frozen  into  glaciers,  or  taken  up  by  coast  ice,  were 
dropped  here  and  there  at  random  over  the  bottom 
of  the  ocean,  wherever  th^y  happened  to  be  de- 
tached from  the  melting  ice.  During  this  period  of 
submergence,  the  valleys  in  the  ancient  rocks  were 
filled  up  with  drift,  with  which  the  whole  surface  of 
the  country  was  over-spread.  Finally ;  the  period  of 
re-elevation  arrived,  or  of  that  intermittent  upward 
movement,  when  the  ridges  to  be  described  in  the 
next  chapter  were  formed  in  succession,  and,  when 
valleys,  like  that  of  St.  David's,  which  had  been  filled 
up,  were  partially  re-excavated.  * 

*  J.  L.  Hayes,  Boston  Journ.  Nat.  Hist.,  1944. 


W 


Chap.  »* 

J  of  such 
5  relatively 
more  con- 
so  that  the 
when  fairly 

ical  changes 
period  in  the 

iirface  of  the 
mbythepas- 
r,  gravel,  and 
wionallyfrag- 
bich  has  been 
oast  ice,vvere 
vex  the  bottom 
aed  to  be  de- 
this  period  of 
ent  rocks  were 
hole  surface  of 
^;  the  period  of 
mittent  upward 
escribed  in  the 
sion,  and.  when 

had  been  filled 


CMAP.  XX. 


MIHAOE. 


85 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Mirage  on  Lake  Ontario. — Toronto.— Exeuraion  with  Mr.  Roy 
to  examine  the  Parallel  Ridges  between  Lakes  Ontario  and 
Simeoe. — Correspondence  of  Level  in  their  Base-lines  over 
wide  Arecu. — Origin  cf  the  Ridges. — Laetutrine  Theory. — 
Hypothesis  of  Sand-banks  formed  under  Water. — Rapid 
Progress  of  the  Colony. — British  Settlers  unable  to  speak 
English. 

June  14,  1842. — From  Queenstown  we  embarked 
in  a  fine  steamer  for  Toronto,  and  had  scarcely 
left  the  mouth  of  the  river,  and  entered  La'.e  On- 
tario, when  we  were  surprised  at  seeing  Toronto  in 
the  horizon,  and  the  low  wooded  plain  on  which  the 
town  is  built.  By  the  eflfect  of  refraction,  or  "  mi- 
rage," so  common  on  this  lake,  the  houses  and  trees 
were  drawn  up  and  lengthened  vertically,  so  that  I 
should  have  guessed  them  to  be  from  200  to  400  feet 
high,  while  the  gently  rising  ground  behind  the 
town  had  the  appearance  of  distant  mountains.  In 
the  ordinary  state  of  the  atmosphere  none  of  this 
land,  much  less  the  city,  would  be  visible  at  this 
distance,  even  in  the  clearest  weather. 

Toronto  contains  already  a  population  of  18,000 
souls.  The  plain  on  which  it  stands  has  a  gentle, 
and  to  the  eye  imperceptible,  slope  upwards  from  the 
lake,  and  is  still  covered,  for  the  most  part,  with  a 
dense  forest,  which  is  beginning  to  give  way  before 
the  axe  of  the  new  settler.  I  found  Mr.  Roy,  the 
civil  engineer,  expecting  me,  and  started  with  him 

VOL.  II.  0 


^'■i 


!'  :  II 

I 


■11 

i 

p. 


■'•i^' 


i 


i 


■km 


I 


88 


RIDGES   NEAR   TORONTO. 


Chap.  xx. 


the  morning  after  my  arrival,  to  examine  those  ridges 
of  sand  and  gravel,  and  those  successive  terraces,  at 
various  heights  above  the  level  of  Lake  Ontario,  of 
which  he  had  given  an  account  in  1837  to  the  Geo- 
logical Society  of  London.  No  small  curiosity  was 
excited,  when  his  paper  was  read,  by  his  endeavour 
to  explain  the  phenomena,  by  supposing  the  former 
existence  of  a  vast  inland  sea  of  fresh  water,  the 
barriers  of  which  were  broken  down  one  after  another 
until  the  present  chain  of  lakes  alone  remained. 

We  started  at  an  early  hour  from  Toronto  on 
horseback,  taking  a  direction  due  northwards  through 
the  forest,  and  after  riding  for  a  mile  over  what 
seemed  a  perfectly  level  plain,  came  to  the  first 
ridge,  the  base  of  which  my  companion  informed  me 
was  108  feet  above  Lake  Ontario.  This  ridge  rose 
abruptly  with  a  steep  slope  towards  the  lake,  and 
was  from  20  to  30  feet  high.  Its  base  consisted  of 
clay,  and  its  sandy  summit,  covered  with  pines,  might 
easily  be  traced  eastward  and  westward  by  the  dis- 
tinctness of  the  narrow  belt  of  fir-wood,  on  each  side 
of  which  other  kinds  of  timber  flourished  luxuriantly 
on  the  clayey  soils. 

Continuing  our  ride  over  the  plain  we  arrived  at 
the  second  ridge,  a  mile  and  a  half  farther  inland, 
having  its  base  208  feet  above  the  lake ;  this  level, 
and  the  others  afterwards  to  be  mentioned,  having 
been  accurately  ascertahied  by  Mr.  Roy  when  em- 
ployed professionally  in  making  measurements  for 
several  projected  canals  and  railroads.  The  second 
ridge  is  a  far  more  striking  object  than  the  first, 
being  from  50  to  70  feet  high  above  the  flat  and  even 
ground  on  both  sides  of  it.    At  its  foot  were  a  great 


Chap.  x«- 

ge  ridges 
races,  at 
itario,  of 
the  Geo- 
osity  was 
jndeavour 
Lhe  former 
water,  the 
ter  another 
lined. 

roronto  on 
rds  through 
over  what 
to  the  first 
informed  me 
is  ridge  rose 
he  lake,  and 
consisted  of 
1  pines,  might 
•d  by  the  dis- 
,  on  each  side 
3d  luxuriantly 

we  arrived  at 
farther  inland, 
ke ;  this  level, 
ilioned,  having 
R,oy  when  em- 
Lsuremcnts  for 
Is.    The  second 
than  the  first, 
ae  flat  and  even 
ot  were  a  great 


Chap.  xx. 


LAKE  RIDGES. 


87 


number  of  boulders  of  rocks  which,  by  their  com- 
position, can  be  proved  to  have  come  from  the  north ; 
and  some  few  of  which  were  perched  on  the  summit 
of  the  ridge.  Such  transported  fragments  are  rare 
on  the  soil  between  the  ridges.  Another  ride  of  two 
miles  and  a  half,  in  a  northerly  direction,  brought  us 
to  the  third  ridge,  five  miles  distant  from  the  lake- 
shore,  which  was  much  less  conspicuous  than  the 
preceding  ones ;  it  was  indeed,  at  the  point  where  we 
crossed  it,  little  more  than  a  steep  slope  of  ten  feet,  by 
which  we  mounted  to  a  higher  terrace.  The  surface 
of  this  terrace  was  only  80  feet  above  the  base  of  the 
second  ridge,  so  that  the  top  of  the  latter,  in  those 
places  where  it  is  70  feet  or  more  in  height,  is  nearly 
on  a  level  with  the  bottom  of  the  third  ridge,  or  cliff. 

In  this  manner  we  went  on,  passing  one  ridge  or 
cliff  after  another,  sometimes  deviating  from  our 
course  for  several  miles  east  and  west,  that  my  guide 
might  point  out  to  me  the  continuity  of  the  ridges, 
and  the  uniformity  of  the  level  of  their  base-lines. 
This  uniformity,  however,  though  I  have  no  doubt  of 
its  reality,  I  had  no  time  to  test  by  actual  measure- 
ment. On  tracing  the  same  ridge  for  several  miles 
east  and  west,  I  occasionally  found  it  to  vary  greatly 
in  height  above  the  plain,  and  sometimes  to  divide 
into  two.  One  of  these  sometimes  formed  a  step 
immediately  above  the  other,  and  sometimes  diverged 
or  branched  off  so  as  to  form  an  upper  and  parallel 
ridge  at  some  distance.  They  were  all  broken  oc- 
casionally by  deep  narrow  gaps,  as  I  had  observed 
in  the  Osars  of  Sweden. 

I  saw,  on  the  whole,  no  less  than  eleven  of  these 
ridges,  some  of  which  might  be  called  cliffs,  or  the 


I-  i 

\4 


•L\\ 


Mbi 


U; 


i 


« 


il  1 


li. 


88 


ORIGIN   OF   THE  BIDGES 


Chap,  sx 


abrupt  terminations  of  terraces  of  clay,  which  cover 
everywhere  the  subjacent  Silurian  rocks  to  a  great 
depth,  and  belong  to  the  drift  or  boulder  formation. 
The  highest  ridge  is  about  680  feet  above  Lake  On- 
tario, the  water-shed  between  that  lake  and  Lake 
Simcoe  being  762  feet  high.  There  is  then  a  descent 
of  282  feet  from  that  summit  level  to  the  shores  of 
Lake  Simcoe,  which  is  42  miles  from  Lake  Ontario. 
On  this  northern  slope  of  282  feet,  Mr.  Roy  has  traced 
several  of  the  higher  ridges,  at  levels  precisely  cor- 
responding to  those  which  I  saw  on  the  southern 
side.  He  also  assures  me  that  several  of  the  ridges, 
which  exceed  in  height  the  level  of  the  table-land 
between  Lakes  Ontario  and  Erie,  extend  continu- 
ously to  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Erie;  and  in 
another  direction  agree  with  ridges  on  the  uplands 
bounding  the  valley  of  the  Ottawa  river. 

The  identification,  however,  of  horizontal  planes 
at  points  several  hundred  miles  distant  from  each 
other,  requires  a  nicety  and  exactness  of  trigono- 
metrical measurement,  which  cannot  as  yet  have  been 
bestowed  on  this  region ;  and  when  there  are  so  many 
terraces  at  levels  differing  but  slightly  from  each 
other,  and  some  of  them  occasionally  dividing  into 
two,  an  upper  and  a  lower  shelf,  they  may  easily  be 
confounded  at  remote  points. 

I  shall  content  myself  with  stating  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  parallel  roads  or  shelves  in  Glen 
Roy,  and  some  neighbouring  glens  of  the  Western 
Highlands  in  Scotland,  I  never  saw  so  remarkable  an 
example  of  banks,  terraces,  and  accumulation  of  stra- 
tified gravel,  sand,  and  clay,  maintaining,  over  wide 


Chap.  xx. 


NEAR   TUKONTO. 


69 


areas,  so  perfect  a  horizontality,  as  in  this  district 
north  of  Toronto. 

The  hypothesis  which  attributes  such  appearances 
to  the  successive  breaking  down  of  the  barriers  of  an 
ancient  lake  or  ocean  of  fresh,  water,  has  now  been 
very  generally  abandoned,  from  the  impossibility  of 
conceiving  where,  in  North  America,  as  in  the  west 
of  Scotland,  the  lands  capable  of  damming  up  the 
waters  to  such  heights  could  have  been  situated,  or 
how,  if  they  ever  existed,  they  could  have  disappear- 
ed, while  the  levels  of  the  ancient  beaches  remained 
undisturbed.  In  order  to  dispense  with  the  necessity 
of  barriers,  we  may  assume  that  the  successive  ridges 
and  cliffs  were  formed  on  the  margin  of  the  sea, 
which  changed  its  level  relatively  to  the  land  again 
and  again,  while  a  large  part  of  the  continent 
emerged  gradually  from  the  waters.  In  that  case, 
we  must  imagine  the  movement  of  upheaval  to  have 
been  intermittent,  so  that  there  were  pauses  during 
which  the  coast-line  remained  stationary  for  cen- 
turies, and  when  the  waves  had  time  to  cut  cliffs,  or 
throw  up  beaches,  or  throV  down  littoral  deposits 
and  sandbanks  near  the  shore. 

This  theory  has  been  objected  to  on  the  ground  of 
the  great  improbability  of  so  vast  an  amount  of  ver- 
tical movement  having  been  developed  so  uniformly 
over  areas  several  hundred  miles  in  diameter.  In 
some  parts  of  Sweden  and  Finland,  however,  there 
has  been  a  near  approach  to  an  uniform  upward  move- 
ment of  two  or  three  feet  in  a  century  throughout 
wide  areas  within  the  historical  era,  and  we  know  far 
too  little  of  the  laws  governing  subterranean  move- 
ments, to  entitle  us  to  raise  objections,  on  the  ground 

Q* 


I'' 


■  I; 


If. 


i  1; 


m. 


90 


THEORY   OF    ORIGIN 


Chap.  \x. 


that  the  observed  phenomena  would  imply  a  regu- 
larity in  the  process  of  upheaval,  not  in  harmony  with 
our  pre-conceived  notions. 

Between  the  first  and  second  ridges,  north  of 
Toronto,  I  saw  a  section  50  feet  deep  in  the  argil- 
laceous deposit  on  which  all  the  ridges  rest,  or  in 
which  cliffs,  corresponding  in  level  with  some  of  the 
ridges,  are  cut.  It  consisted  of  blue  clay  in  hori- 
zontal thin  layers,  with  partings  of  yellow  sand,  and 
at  the  bottom  yellow  clay,  with  some  interstratified 
layers  of  white  clay.  I  observed  no  included 
boulders,  but  Mr.  Roy  has  seen  them  at  Toronto, 
where  deep  excavations  were  made  for  the  founda- 
tions of  buildings.  They  occurred  near  the  junction 
of  the  clay  and  the  subjacent  rocks ;  and  he  remarked 
that  the  solid  rocks,  on  the  removal  of  the  boulder 
formation,  were  polished  and  scored  on  the  surface. 
I  could  find  no  shells  either  in  the  clay  or  in  the 
ridges.  I  was  informed,  indeed,  that  marine  shells 
had  been  met  with  in  the  clay,  but,  on  inquiry,  they 
turned  out  to  be  Silurian  fossils,  washed  out  of  the 
ancient  shales. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  observations,  that  I 
consider  the  ridges  and  other  marks  of  ancient  water- 
levels,  between  Toronto  and  Lake  Simcoe,  as  refer- 
able, some  of  them  to  ancient  beaches  and  lines  of 
cliff  formed  on  the  margins  of  channels  of  the  sea ; 
others,  including  some  of  the  loftiest  ridges,  as  having 
originated  in  banks  or  bars  of  sand,  formed,  not  at 
the  extreme  edge  of  a  body  of  water,  but  at  some 
distance  from  the  shore,  in  proportion  as  the  water 
obtained  a  certain  shallowness  by  the  upheaval  of  the 
land. 


>%\i. 


Chap.  xx. 


OF   LAKB   RIDGES. 


91 


It  is  well  known  that  on  many  shelving  coasts  the 
breakers  and  tides  give  rise  to  banks  of  sand  at  no 
great  distance  from  the  beach.  I  learn  from  Mr. 
Whittlesey  that  a  bank  of  this  kind  has  been  formed 
for  several  miles  along  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie,  near  Cleveland,  the  origin  of  which  he  attri- 
butes in  part  to  the  reflux  of  the  waves  from  "the 
beach,  by  which  pebbles  and  sand  are  swept  out  from 
the  land. 

Mr.  Mather  informs  us  that  the  great  beach  on  the 
south  coast  of  Long  Island,  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  extends  for  a  distance  of  104  miles,  with  a 
breadth  of  from  100  to  1000  yards.  For  70  miles  it 
is  separated  from  the  mainland  by  a  continuous  line 
of  bays,  which  are  between  half  a  mile  and  six  miles 
broad.  "  This  great  beach  or  bank  forms  a  line  of 
spits  and  low  islands.  One  of  the  islands  is  about 
25  miles  long,  with  a  breadth  of  a  few  hundred 
yards.  They  are  all  narrow  and  long,  and  when 
above  the  reach  of  the  surf  they  are  covered  -by  a 
labyrinth  of  hillocks  of  drifted  sand,  imitating  almost 
all  the  variety  of  form  which  snow-drifts  present 
after  a  storm.***  They  consist,  he  adds,  of  the  ma- 
terials derived  from  the  neighbouring  cliffs  of  Long 
Island,  which  are  undermined  and  destroyed  by  the 
waves.f 

Examples  of  similar  banks  parallel  to  the  shore 
are  cited  by  Mr.  Darwin,  in  his  work  on  Coral  Reefs 
(p.  53).  Capt.  Grey  also  states  that  the  west  coast 
of  Australia,  in  lat.  24°,  is  fronted  by  a  sand  bar 
about  200  yards  in  width,  on  which  there  is  only  two 

♦  New  York  State  Report,  1838,  p.  130. 

t  Journal  of  Two  Expeditions,  &c.,  vol.  i.,  p.  369. 


•1 


i 


H 

■  I 

1 


r 


'   V 


>>■' 


9a 


CLEARINH    OF   THB    FOREST 


Chap.  xx. 


Ill 


feet  of  water ;  but  between  it  and  the  land  the  depth 
increases  to  two  fathoms.'* 

At  Bahia  Bianca,  in  Brazil,  Mr.  Darwin  observed 
a  bar  running  parallel  to  the  coast,  on  which  they 
landed  from  the  boats  at  low  water,  and  then  waded 
for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  shore.  He  has  de- 
scribed a  similar  bar  at  Pernambuco,  in  Brazil,  seve- 
ral leagues  in  length,  in  which  the  sand  has  been 
consolidated  into  a  hard  stone  by  calcareous  matter. 
Within  these  bars  currents  are  often  seen  to  run 
strongly,  caused  by  the  water  thrown  over  them  by 
the  waves  when  the  tide  is  high.  These  waters  run 
between  the  bar  and  the  coast,  until  at  length  they 
find  some  breach  in  the  bar  by  which  they  return  to 
the  sea. 

In  illustration  of  the  ancient  ridges  or  osars  in 
Roxburghshire,  Mr.  David  Milne,  F.G.S.,  has  de- 
scribed many  examples  of  narrow  sandbanks  now 
existing  oflf  the  coast  of  Britain,  some  5,  others  30 
miles  in  length,  with  ten  or  twelve  fathoms  water 
between  them  and  the  neighbouring  shore.f 

The  existence  of  such  bars  near  modern  shores 
being  ascertained,  it  follows  that,  if  a  coast  be  gra- 
dually upraised,  many  of  them  will  be  both  formed 
and  made  to  emerge  in  succession,  all  preserving  the 
same  general  parallelism  to  each  other  which  pre- 

*  Journal  of  Two  Expeditions,  &c.,vol.  i.,  p.  369. 

t  See  Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Edinb.,  vol.  zv.,  p.  484,  Jan.  1842.  My 
paper,  citing  analogous  cases,  in  explanation  of  similar  geological 
phenomenon,  was  read  at  the  same  time  to  the  Geological  Society 
of  London,  without  our  having  communicated  together  on  the  sub- 
ject  See  Abstract  in  Proceedings  Geol.  Soc.,  No.  92,  p.  21,  Jan. 
4,  1843. 


Cma».  ««• 
i  the  depth 

[I  observed 
^hich  ihey 
hen  waded 
le  has  de- 
kazil,  seve- 
d  has  been 
ous  matter, 
seen  to  run 
rer  them  by 
3  waters  run 
length  they 
ley  return  to 

I  or  osars  in 
5.S.,  has  de- 
adbanks  now 
5»  others  30 
athoms  water 

)re.t 

lodern  shores 
coast  be  gra- 
both  formed 
preserving  the 
er  which  pre- 

369. 

4,  Jan.  1842.    My 
similar  geological 
Geological  Society 
igether  on  the  sub- 
No.  92,  p.  21,  Jan- 


Chap.  zx. 


NORTH    OF   TORONTO. 


vails  in  the  ridges  above  the  Canadian  lakes.  It  is 
also  clear  that  tticrc  will  be  swamps  and  ponds  on 
the  inland  side  of  such  upraised  banks,  representing 
the  channels  and  lagoons  which  intervened  originally 
between  the  bars  and  the  mainland.  There  would 
also  be  occasional  gaps  in  the  ridges,  some  corre- 
sponding to  original  openings,  through  which  the 
back  water  escaped,  and  others  cut  by  torrents  after 
the  emergence  of  the  land. 

According  to  Mr.  Whittlesey,  the  base  lines  of 
several  ridges  east  and  west  of  Cleveland  are  not 
strictly  horizontal,  but  inclined  five  feet,  and  some- 
times more,  in  a  mile.  To  account  for  this  diflerence 
of  level,  it  has  been  suggested  that  the  upward  move- 
ment of  the  land  on  the  south  side  of  Lake  Erie  may 
have  been  unequal,  some  parts  being  raised  higher 
than  others.  But  it  deserves  consideration  whether 
the  ridges,  if  some  of  them  were  bars  or  sandbanks, 
may  not  occasionally  have  varied  in  level  from  the 
first,  according  to  the  inequalities  of  the  ground  and 
the  force  of  currents. 

If  we  adopt  the  theory  above  set  forth  we  must 
still  conceive  the  banks  to  have  become  beaches  as 
they  emerged,  or  cliflfs  partially  undermined  by  the 
waves,  while  in  some  cases  they  may  have  been  en- 
tirely destroyed,  of  which  I  thought  T  saw  indications 
when  tracing  the  continuity  of  some  ridges  near  To- 
ronto. 

In  my  ride  with  Mr.  Roy  through  the  forest  we 
went  about  twenty  miles  due  north  of  Toronto,  be- 
sides making  many  detours.  A  more  active  scene 
of  the  progress  of  a  new  colony  could  scarcely  be 
witnessed.    We  often  came  upon  a  party  of  survey- 


1 


m 


If; 


\ 


I 


1 
i 


n 


94 


IGNORANCE   OF    NEW   8ETTLER8. 


Chap.  zx. 


I  .  !! 


ors,  or  pioneers,  tracing  out  a  new  lino  of  road  with 
the  trunks  of  tall  trees  felled  on  every  side,  over 
which  we  had  to  leap  our  horses.  Then  we  made  a 
circuit  to  get  to  windward  of  some  large  stumps 
which  were  on  fire,  or,  if  we  could  find  no  pathway, 
hurried  our  steeds  through  the  smoke,  half  suffocated 
and  oppressed  with  the  heat  of  the  burning  timber 
and  a  sultry  sun.  Sometimes  we  emerged  suddenly 
into  a  wide  clearing,  where  not  a  single  clump  of 
trees  had  been  spared  by  the  impatient  and  improvi- 
dent farmer.  All  were  burnt,  not  even  a  shrub  re- 
maining for  the  cattle  and  sheep,  which,  for  want  of 
a  better  retreat,  were  gasping  under  the  imperfect 
shade  of  a  wooden  paling,  called  in  America  a  Vir- 
ginia, or  snake  fence. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  had  been  so  en- 
tirely altered  since  Mr.  Roy  surveyed  the  ground 
two  years  before,  and  marked  out  the  boundaries  of 
the  new  settlements,  that  he  lost  his  way  while  ex- 
plaining to  me  the  geology  of  "  the  ridges ; "  and 
after  we  had  been  on  horseback  for  twelve  hours  we 
wandered  about  in  a  bright  moonlight,  unable  to  find 
the  tavern  where  we  hoped  to  pass  the  night.  In 
the  darker  shade  of  the  forest  I  saw  many  fire-flies ; 
and  my  attention  was  kept  alive,  in  spite  of  fatigue, 
by  stories  of  men  and  horses  swallowed  up  in  some 
of  the  morasses  which  we  crossed.  I  shall  always, 
in  future,  regard  a  corduroy  road  with  respect,  as 
marking  a  great  step  in  the  march  of  civilisation ; 
for  greatly  were  we  rejoiced  when  we  discovered  in 
the  moonlight  the  exact  part  of  a  bog,  over  which  a 
safe  bridge  of  this  kind  had  been  laid  down.  At 
length  we  reached  a  log-hoiise,  and   thought  our 


Cma».  ««• 

road  with 

side,  over 
vvc  made  a 
rgc  stumps 
lo  pathway, 
f  auflfocated 
ning  timber 
ed  suddenly 
ie  clump  of 
and  improvi- 
a  a  shrub  re- 
i,  for  want  of 
Ihe  imperfect 
merica  a  Vir- 

i  been  so  en- 
;d  the  ground 
I  boundaries  of 
way  while  ex- 
ridges;"  and 
velve  hours  we 
t,  unable  to  find 

the  night.  In 
many  fire-flies ; 
spite  of  fatigue, 
wed  up  in  some 

1  shall  always, 
with  respect,  as 

of  civilisation ; 
m  discovered  in 
3g,  over  which  a 

laid  down.    A^ 
,nd  thought  our 


Chap.  xx. 


IQNORANCB    OK    NKW  TTf.Kna. 


05 


troubles  at  an  end.  But  the  ininatf^s,  thoiirrli  eager 
to  servo  us,  could  not  compn^hciid  u  syllable  of"  oiir 
language.  I  tried  English,  Freiicli.  and  Cirrnian,  all 
in  vain.  Tired  and  disappointed,  wr  walked  to  au-^ 
other  log-house,  a  mile  farther  on,  leading  our  weary 
horses,  and  then  to  others,  but  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. Though  not  among  Indians,  wo  were  as 
foreigners  in  a  strange  land.  At  last  wo  stumbled, 
by  good  luck,  upon  our  inn,  and  the  next  day  wero 
told  that  the  poor  settlers  with  whom  wo  had  fallen 
in  the  night  before  had  all  come  from  the  firitish 
Isles  in  the  course  of  the  five  preceding  years.  Some 
of  them  could  speak  Gaelic,  others  Welsh,  and  others 
Irish ;  and  the  farmers  were  most  eloquent  in  des- 
canting on  their  misfortune  in  having  no  alternative 
but  that  of  employing  labourers  with  whom  they  were 
unable  to  communicate,  or  remaining  in  want  of 
hands  while  so  many  were  out  of  work,  and  in  great 
distress.  For  the  first  time  I  became  fully  aware 
how  much  the  success  and  progress  of  a  new  colony 
depends  on  the  state  of  schools  in  the  mother 
country. 


liii 


!•;' 


:l' 


i 


r 
■1' 

1 


dm 


KINGSTON. — MONTREAL. 


Ckap.  XXI. 


I 


i 


W 


%:' 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Kingston. — Montreal. — French  Population  and  Language.—- 
Quebec. — Soldiers. — Deserters. — Three  Rivers. — Scotch  Emi' 
grants. — Distinctness  of  French  and  British  Canadians.-- 
Large  Military  Force. — .American  Sympathizers. — Geological 
Survey. — .Analogy  in  Structure  of  Canada  and  Scandinama. 
— Section  at  Falls  of  Montmorency. — Unconformable  position 
of  lowest  Fossiliferous  Sandstone  to  Gneiss. — Supposed  Mon- 
ument of  the  Commencement  of  the  Organic  World. — To 
what  extent  the  Granitic  Rocks  are  Primary.— Difficulty  of 
establishing  the  Date  of  Metamorphie  Action. — Two  sources 
of  popular  error  respecting  the  more  abundant  production  of 
Hypogene  Rocks  at  Remote  Periods. 

June  \%th. — An  excellent  mail  steam-packet  carried 
us  along  the  northern  coast  of  Lake  Ontario,  from 
Toronto  to  Kingston,  from  whence  I  made  a  geo- 
logical excursion  to  Gannanoquoi.  From  Kingston 
we  then  descended  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Montreal. 
The  scenery  of  the  Thousand  Islands  and  of  the  ra- 
pids of  the  St.  Lawrence  owe  much  of  their  beauty 
to  the  clearness  of  the  waters,  which  are  almost  as 
green,  and  their  foam  as  white,  as  at  the  Falls  of 
Niagara. 

On  approaching  Montreal  we  seemed  to  be  en- 
tering a  French  province.  The  language  and  cos- 
tume of  the  peasants  and  of  the  old  beggars,  the 
priests  with  their  breviaries,  the  large  crosses  on  the 
public  roads,  with  the  symbols  of  the  Crucifixion,  the 
architecture  of  the  houses,  with  their  steep  roofs,  large 
casement  windows,  and,  lastly,  the  great  Catholic 
cathedral  rising  in  state,  with  its  two  lofty  towers, 
carried  back  our  thoughts  to  Normandy  and  Brittany, 


if! 


Chap.  xxi. 


FRENCH    CANADIANS. 


97 


where  we  spent  the  corresponding  season  of  last 
year.  The  French  spoken  in  those  provinces  of  me 
mother  country  is  often  far  less  correct,  and  less 
easy  to  follow,  than  that  of  the  Canadians,  whose 
manners  are  very  prepossessing,  much  softer  and 
more  polite  than  those  of  their  Anglo-Saxon  fellow- 
countrymen,  however  superior  the  latter  may  be  in 
energy  and  capability  of  advancement. 

I  was  informed  by  a  physician  at  Montreal  that 
the  English  language  h^s  made  great  progress  there 
within  his  recollection ;  and  all  agree  that  it  would 
soon  become  still  more  general  if  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment were  transferred  to  that  city," — a  measure  since 
realized,  but  which  was  then  only  beginning  to  be  dis- 
cussed (1842),  and  was  exciting  no  small  elTervcscenca 
of  party  feeling.  I  was  assured  by  many  that  it  was 
the  only  step  towards  anglicising  Lower  Canada 
that  would  be  popular  with  the  French  party.  The 
country  round  Kingston  must  always  be  compara- 
tively barren,  as  much  of  the  soil  consists  of  granite 
and  granitic  detritus ;  and  it  could  never  become  a 
large  metropolis,  such  as  Toronto  might  bo  made,  or 
such  as  Montreal  is  even  now. 

Quebec,  with  its  citadel  and  fortifications  crowning 
the  precipitous  heights  which  overhang  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  where  the  deep  and  broad  river  is  enlivened 
with  a  variety  of  shipping,  struck  us  as  the  most 
picturesque  city  we  had  seen  since  wc  landed  in 
America.  We  were  glad  to  meet  with  some  old 
friends  among  the  oflicers  of  the  garrison,  who  ac- 
companied us  to  the  Falls  of  Montmorency,  and  other 
places  in  the  neighbourhood.  Their  task  in  main- 
taining strict  discipline  in  thrir  corps,  in  preventing 

V(.|'..   M.  ]() 


i     !; 


;•!■ 


f 


1 


.1    ' 


•i;/SS^-f'd^^''i^^i'':eW!?fti 


9S 


THIIEE    RIVERS. 


Chap.  xxi. 


the  desertion  of  soldiers,  and  keeping  the  peace  along 
the  frontier,  has  been  more  irksome  than  in  quelling 
the  rebellion.  Those  soldiers  who  have  deserted  to 
the  States  are  said  rarely  to  make  good  and  thriving 
settlers  ;  for  they  have  been  turned  into  such  mere 
machinosjinto  such  creatures  of  routine,  so  exclusively 
trained  for  excellence  in  one  art,  that  they  want  re- 
sources, and  are  singularly  deficient  in  a  virtue  termed 
by  the  Americans  "  shiftiness,"  or  the  power  of  turn- 
ing one's  hand  to  anything)*  and  everything,  for 
which  the  well-educated  New-England  coloniser  is 
celebrated. 

On  our  way  back  from  Quebec  to  Montreal,  I 
stopped  at  Three  Rivers  to  make  a  geological  ex- 
cursion to  the  Falls  of  Maskinonge,  about  ten  miles 
northward  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  woods,  near 
the  beautiful  waterfall,  where  the  river  forces  its  way 
through  a  narrow  cleft  in  the  gneissose  rocks,  I  lost 
my  way,  and  was  attacked  by  myriads  of  mosquitos — 
the  only  occasion,  owing  to  the  unusual  coolness  of 
the  season,  on  which  I  was  annoyed  by  these  enemies, 
so  much  dreaded  here  by  the  lovers  of  angling. 

When  standing  on  the  wharf  at  Three  Rivers,  I 
conversed  with  the  proprietor  of  a  large  estate  in  the 
Eastern  townships,  who  complained  to  me  that  while 
crowds  were  passing  up  the  river  every  week  to  re- 
mote districts,  and  sometimes  returning  disappointed, 
find  even  occasionally  re-crossing  the  Atlantic,  he  and 
other  farmers  were  unable  to  get  hands.  While  he 
was  speaking,  a  large  steamer,  with  several  hundred 
Scotch  emigrants  from  Ayrshire,  came  alongside  the 
wharf.  They  were  only  to  tarry  there  one  hour 
to  take  in  wood  for  the  engines.      My  companion 


M 


m 


if 


Chap.  xxi. 


FRENCH   CANADIANS. 


went  on  board,  eagerly  endeavouring  to  bribe  some  of 
the  new-comers  to  settle  on  his  farm,  but  all  in  vain. 
They  said  they  had  cousins  and  friends  in  "  Upper 
Canada,"  and  were  all  resolved  to  go  there.  I  could 
not  help  sympathizing  with  him  in  his  disappoint- 
ment, and  the  more  so,  as  I  had  seen  at  Toronto  large 
bands  of  Irish  and  Welsh  peasants  in  a  state  of  desti- 
tution for  want  of  work ;  and  in  spite  of  the  liberality 
of  the  citizens,  several  gangs  of  them,  while  we  were 
ther  committed  robberies  in  the  neighbourhood.  It 
appears  that  during  the  late  troubles  in  Canada  the 
tide  of  immigration  was  almost  entirely  stopped  for 
several  years ;  now  it  is  setting  in  more  strongly  than 
ever:  but  as  they  come  from  all  parts  of  the  British 
Isles,  it  is  scarcely  possible,  unless  the  whole  system 
of  colonising  were  under  government  regulation,  and 
conducted  on  arbitrary  principles,  to  adjust  the  supply 
of  labour  to  the  various  and  ever-fluctuating  local 
demands. 

When  passing  in  a  carriage  over  the  rich  allu- 
vial grounds  on  the  left  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
I  expostulated  with  some  of  the  English  proprietors 
on  the  intolerable  condition  of  the  muddy  roads.  I 
reminded  them  that  all  this  part  of  Canada  was  a 
cleared  and  cultivated  country,  when  half  the  United 
States  was  still  a  wilderness.  They  replied,  that  the 
French  farmers,  to  whom  most  of  the  land  belonged, 
refused  to  pay  taxes  for  bettering  the  roads,  contend- 
ing that  it  was  preferable  to  spend  more  time  on 
the  way,  and  to  wear  out  their  horses  and  vehicles 
somewhat  faster,  than  to  pay  down  money  to  a  tax- 
gatherer. 

The  anecdotes  told  us  by  the  British  settlers,  of 


m 


i'  I  ;J  ■  I  ■ 


100 


ARMY  IN  CANADA. 


Chap.  xxt. 


the  superstitious  horror  of  the  old  Canadians  at  the 
new  inventions  and  innovations  of  the  Anglo-Ameri- 
cans, were  very  amusing.  The  river  craft  of  the  Ca- 
nadian "  voyageurs"  was  so  unrivalled  in  its  way  that 
we  may  pardon  them  for  beholding  the  first  steamers 
with  jealousy.  One  of  them  is  said  to  have  exclaimed, 
as  he  saw  them  ascending  the  St.  Lawrence,  "  Mais 
croyez-vous  que  le  bon  Dieu  permettra  toutcela?" 
During  this  tour  I  often  thought  of  the  old  story  of 
the  American,  who  said  that  "  if  the  United  States 
ever  got  possession  of  Canada,  they  would  soon  im- 
prove the  French  off  the  face  of  the  earth."  The 
French  party  speak  of  the  late  Lord  Sydenham  as  if 
they  really  believed  him  capable  of  conceiving  and 
executing  such  a  project.  On  the  other  hand,  not  a 
few  of  the  English  settlers,  while  they  praised  his 
zeal  and  habits  of  business,  and  devotedness  to  the 
interests  of  Canada,  took  pains  to  persuade  me  that 
if  his  measures  were  enlightened,  his  means  of  carry- 
ing them  through  the  legislature  were  equally  un- 
scrupulous. One  of  his  admirers,  deeply  imbued 
with  the  spirit  of  his  policy,  is  said  to  have  declared, 
"  We  shall  never  make  anything  of  Canada  until  we 
anglicize  and  protestantize  it ;"  to  which  a  French 
seigneur  rejoined  with  bitterness,  "  Had  you  not  bet- 
ter finish  Ireland  first  ?" 

Some  of  the  American  travellers  whom  we  met  here 
were  extremely  entertained  with  the  military  display 
of  the  large  army  now  quartered  in  this  province, 
the  reviews,  the  bands  of  music,  the  trains  of  bag- 
gage-wagons, which  they  occasionally  met  on  the 
roads,  the  barracks  of  infantry  and  cavalry,  the  new 
fortifications  of  Kingston,  and  the  old  ones  of  Quebec. 


J 


Chap.  xxi. 


MILITARY    FORCE   IN    CANADA. 


101 


nadians  at  the 
Anglo-Ameri- 
raft  of  the  Ca- 
in its  way  that 
;  first  steamers 
ave  exclaimed, 
wrence,  "  Mais 
tra  tout  cela  ?" 
tie  old  story  of 

United  States 
would  soon  itn- 
c  earth."  The 
Sydenham  as  if 

conceiving  and 
ther  hand,  not  a 
they  praised  his 
/otedness  to  the 
fersuade  me  that 

means  of  carry- 
vere  equally  un- 

deeply  imbued 
;o  have  declared, 

Canada  until  we 

which  a  French 

iad  you  not  bet- 

hom  we  met  here 
e  military  display 
in  this  province, 
he  trains  of  bag- 
lally  met  on  the 
cavalry,  the  new 
d  ones  of  Quebec. 


All  this  warlike  parade,  after  a  sojourn  of  nine  months 
in  the  United  States,  appeared  almost  as  great  a  novelty 
to  us  as  to  them ;  but  the  resemblance  of  the  colony  to 
a  garrison  afforded  me  no  pleasure.  It  was  a  per- 
petual remembrance  of  the  late  troubles,  and  of  that 
former  mismanagement  of  which  a  civil  war,  however 
unjustifiable,  affords  ample  proof.  It  reminded  me 
also  of  the  difficulties  with  which  the  wisest  and  best- 
intcntioned  government  will  have  to  contend,  whose 
task  it  is  to  fuse  into  one  harmonious  whole  two 
populations  so  dissimilar  in  origin  and  language  as 
the  French  and  British,  and  all  whose  ideas  on  social, 
political,  and  religious  subjects,  are  so  discordant. 
It  recalled,  moreover,  to  mind  the  unwarrantable 
conduct  of  those  turbulent  borderers,  the  American 
"  sympathizers,"  who  poured  in  by  thousands  to  aid 
the  insurgents,  and  whose  intervention  alone  rendered 
the  rebellion  formidable  for  a  time. 

Great  indignation  was  expressed  to  me  by  many 
Canadians,  that  these  citizens  should  have  been 
allowed  with  impunity,  by  the  governor  of  New 
York,  to  take  cannon  out  of  a  public  arsenal,  and 
invade  a  friendly  territory  in  time  of  peace. 

"  Non  cogente  quidem  sed  nee  prohibente  tribuno." 

Some  New  Yorkers,  on  the  other  hand,  while 
they  freely  condemned  the  sympathizers,  and  said 
they  had  rejoiced  in  their  defeat,  defended  their 
governor,  saying  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  have 
foreseen  and  provided  against  so  sudden  a  move- 
ment along  so  extensive  a  frontier ;  that  neither 
he  nor  the  federal  government  had  troops  enough 

at  their  command  to  act  as  a  sufficient  police  ;  and 

10* 


:!■  >i\ 


is 


".i<, 


•I 

ill 


■ 

'I, 


m\ 


■*  I: 


n 


102 


UKULOUICAL  SURVEY. 


Chap.  xxi. 


that  it  was  too  much  to  expect  of  them  to  maintain, 
permanently,  a  large  standing  army  for  the  sake  of 
being  prepared  for  such  rare  emergencies. 

That  the  whole  of  the  British  force  now  kept  up  in 
this  colony  is  absolutely  needed,  I  venture  not  to 
doubt ;  but  they  who  refuse  to  hope  for  its  speedy 
reduction,  appear  to  me  to  libel  by  anticipation  our 
future  colonial  policy.  I  listened  with  no  small 
impatience  to  the  wishes  expressed  by  some  residents, 
that  this  full  war  establishment  should  be  permanent, 
and  to  their  discussions  on  the  desirableness  of  new 
fortifications,  to  be  executed  at  great  cost  by  Eng- 
land, and  of  fleets  of  war-steamers  to  be  built  on  the 
lakes,  in  order  that  they  might  at  all  times  be  ready 
for  an  outbreak  with  the  United  States. 

The  population  of  the  British  possessions  in 
America,  in  1842,  amounted  in  round  numbers  to 
one  million  and  a  half. 


Lower  Canada 

690,000 

Upper  Canada 

626,000 

New  Brunswick 

156,000 

Nova  Scotia 

180,000 

1,552,000 


The  annual  growth  of  the  population  of  the 
United  States,  with  which  their  wealth  and  territory 
keep  pace,  exceeds  at  present  700,000  souls,  so  that 
every  two  years'  increase  is  about  equal  to  the 
number  of  all  the  present  inhabitants  of  British 
America.    The  mere  contemplation  of  these  figures 


Chap.  xxi. 

• 

them  to  maintain, 
ly  for  the  sake  of 
CTcncies. 

rce  now  kept  up  in 
1  venture  not  to 
lope  for  its  speedy 
by  anticipation  our 
led  with  no  small 
i  by  some  residents, 
lould  be  permanent, 
iesirableness  of  new 
great  cost  by  Eng- 
;rs  to  be  built  on  the 
,t  all  times  be  ready 
States. 

itish   possessions    in 
I  round  numbers  to 


690,000 
526,000 
156,000 
180,000 


Chap.  xxi. 


KKtJUMOLANCE    OF    CANADIAN 


103 


1,552,000 


le  population  of  the 
r  wealth  and  territory 
700,000  souls,  so  that 
,s  about  equal  to  the 
inhabitants  of  British 
plation  of  these  figures 


would  seem  to  mo  enough  to  convince  a  reasonable 
man,  that  Canada  must  owe  her  security  from 
external  aggression,  not  to  local  armaments  and 
provincial  demonstrations,  but  to  the  resources  of  the 
whole  British  empire.  A  surplus  revenue  at  home, 
or  the  remission  of  taxes  which  press  heavily  on  in- 
dustry and  commerce,  and  economy  in  administering 
our  colonial  affairs  in  times  of  peace,  are  the  true 
means  of  fortifying  the  Canadian  frontier. 

The  legislature  of  Canada  have  lately  voted  a 
sum  of  money  for  a  geological  survey  of  the  province, 
which  has  been  placed  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Logan,  from  whose  labours  we  may  soon  expect  an 
accurate  map,  with  a  description  of  the  rocks  and 
their  organic  remains,  and  a  comparison  of  them 
with  the  equivalent  formations  in  the  United  States. 
My  own  observations  were  confined  to  the  valley 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  its  environs,  where  I  was 
struck  with  the  remarkable  analogy  between  the 
structure  of  this  part  of  North  America  and  those 
portions  of  Scandinavia  which  I  visited  in  1834  and 
1836.  I  seemed  to  have  got  back  to  Norway  and 
Sweden,  where,  as  in  Canada,  gneiss  and  mica 
schist,  and  occasionally  granite,  prevail  over  wide 
areas,  while  the  fossiliferous  rocks  belong  either 
to  the  most  ancient  or  the  very  newest  strata, 
to  the  Silurian  rocks,  or  to  deposits  so  modern 
as  to  contain  exclusively  shells  of  recent  species. 
In  both  countries,  we  pass  over  enormous  spaces, 
without  beholding  any  formations  of  an  intermediate 
age.  In  both,  large  erratics,  or  far-transported 
fragments  of  rock,  have  been  carried  from  north  to 
south,  while  the  surfaces  of  solid  rocks,  covered  at 


151 


I* 


1^^  !ii:^ 


'■  ! 


i: 


104 


AND    SCANDINAVIAN    JiHoLUOV. 


Chap.  xxi. 


various  heights  by  gravel,  sand,  and  clay,  have  been 
smoothed  and  furrowed. 

There  arc  largo  parts  of  Scandinavia,  where  the 
Silurian  strata  have  not  been  invaded  by  trappean 
rocks,  whether  fclspathic  or  basaltic.  There  are 
others,  where  these  igneous  materials  have  intruded 
themselves,  both  in  the  form  of  dykes  and  over- 
lying masses,  as  in  Sweden,  at  KinnekuUe  near 
Lake  Wcncr,  and  in  Norway  near  Christiania.  The 
same  geological  condition  of  things  recurs  in  Can.ida, 
the  mountain  of  Montreal  affording  a  good  example 
of  slightly  disturbed  Silurian  limestone  full  of  shells 
and  corals,  with  a  capping  of  basalt  or  greenstone 
about  eighty  feet  thick,  which  terminates  abruptly 
towards  the  river,  giving  a  picturesque  outline  to 
the  hill.  (See  fig.  13.,  p.  117.)  Numerous  dykes  or 
veins  of  trap,  both  felspathic  and  augitic,  are  seen 
penetrating  the  limestone,  and  some  of  them  sending 
ramifications  through  it.  One  of  the  felspathic 
dykes  {d,  fig.  13),  consisting  of  claystone-porphyry, 
was  well  exposed  to  view  by  new  excavations  near 
M'Gill's  College,  at  the  time  of  my  visit. 

The  limestone  of  this  mountain,  and  of  other 
districts  in  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
adjoining  country,  agrees  in  its  fossils  with  the 
Trenton  limestone  of  New  York.  (No.  15  of  map 
PI.  II.)  The  same  is  seen  at  the  Falls  of  Mont- 
morenci,  where  it  rests  on  the  ancient  sandstone 
(No.  15),  called  the  Potsdam  sandstone,  the  lowest 
of  more  than  twenty  fossiliferous  formations  older 
than  the  coal,  which  are  recoi^^nized  in  the  classifica- 
tion of  the  New  York  surveyors.  The  upper  part 
of  this  sandstone,  at  the  falls  above  mentioned,  is  re- 


,aV.  CHAP.  XXI. 

1 

clay,  have  been 

lavia,  where  the 
ded  by  trappean 
Itic.  There  are 
lis  have  intruded 
dykes   and  over- 

KinnekuUe   near 
Chrisf.ania.     The 
recurs  hi  Canada, 
ft  a  good  example 
Itone  full  of  shells 
salt  or  greenstone 
jrminates  abruptly 
turesque  outline  to 
Numerous  dykes  or 
,d  augitic,  are  seen 
mc  of  them  sending 

of    the    felspathic 
claystone-porphyry, 
iw  excavations  near 
ly  visit, 
itain,  and  of    other 

Lawrence  and  the 
its  fossils  with  the 
rk.     (No.  15  of  map 

the  Falls  of  Mont- 
le  ancient  sandstone 
sandstone,  the  lowest 
:ous  formations  older 
nized  in  the  classifica- 
ors.  The  upper  part 
ibove  mentioned,  is  rc- 


ChAP.  XXI. 


R0CK8    OP   MONTMORENCI. 


105 


markable  for  containing  boulders  of  enormous  size, 
the  largest  I  ever  remember  to  have  seen  in  any 
ancient  stratified  rock.  I  measured  some  of  them 
which  were  eight  feet  long,  but  they  may  have  been 
derived  originally  from  the  destruction  of  rocks  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood,  as  they  consist  of  the 
same  gneiss  as  that  on  which  they  rest,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  said,  like  certain  modern  erratics  in  Canada, 
to  point  to  glacial  action,  or  to  imply  that  large  blocks 
were  transported  by  icebergs  at  a  very  remote 
period. 

The  strata  of  black  slate,  commonly  called  grey- 
wacke  in  Canada,  which  appear  in  a  highly  inclined 
position  immediately  below  the  Falls  of  Mont- 
morenci,  have,  no  doubt,  been  correctly  referred,  by 
Professor  Emmons,  to  the  slate  of  the  Hudson  river 
series.  (No.  14.  of  map  PI.  II.)  In  consequence  of 
a  derangement  or  fault  in  the  strata,  they  appear,  on 
a  cursory  view,  to  belong  to  an  older  formation  than 
the  less  disturbed  limestone  and  sandstone  before 
mentioned.  This  fault  is  so  extensive,  that  it  has 
misled  many  of  the  earlier  explorers  of  the  valley  of 
the  St.  Lawrence,  who  naturally  concluded  that  the 
inclined  greywacke  was  more  ancient  than  the  hori- 
zontal limestone  of  the  same  district,  whereas  it  oc- 
cupies in  fact  a  higher  place  in  the  series. 

The  termination  downwards  of  the  most  ancient 
iossiliferous  rocks  of  Canada  in  a  stratified  quartzose 
sandstone  with  few  fossils  affords  another  point  of 
analogy  between  the  geology  of  Scandinavia  and 
North  America.  An  additional  one  is  supplied  by 
the  unconformable  superposition  in  both  hemispheres 
of  the  inferior  sandstone  to  gneiss.    I  saw  a  junc- 


^    t 


ti 


106 


LOWEST    OR    POTSDAM    SANDSTONE.        Chap.  XII. 


tion  of  this  kind  at  KinnckuUc  in  Sweden,  and 
in  the  U.  S.  at  Little  Falls  on  the  Mohawk  ;  and 
afterwards  on  the  western  borders  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain  in  the  U.  S.  At  Little  Falls,  however,  the 
ancient  strata,  which  rest  upon  gneiss,  do  not  belong 
precisely  to  the  same  part  of  this  lower  member  of 
the  Silurian  series  as  those  at  Montmorenci,  but  to  the 
beds  next  above  the  Potsdam  ;  namely,  those  called 
the  calciferous  sandrock  by  the  Nsw  York  surveyors. 
This  circumstance  should  serve  as  a  warning  against 
the  hasty  assumption  that  in  any  of  these  sections  we 
have  positively  arrived  at  the  lowest  stratum  con- 
taining organic  remains  in  the  crust  of  the  earth,  or 
have  discovered  the  relics  of  the  first  living  be»hgs 
which  were  imbedded  in  sediment. 

When  reasoning  on  this  subject,  we  must  not  fbr- 
get  that  the  oldest  formations  are  those  which  must 
have  suffered  the  greatest  loss  by  aqueous  denuda- 
tion, and  which  have  been  most  extensively  altered 
by  plutonic  action.  We  must  also  remember  how 
small  a  part  of  the  earth's  crust  is  accessible  to  hu- 
man observation,  three-fourths  of  the  surface  of  the 
globe  being  submerged  beneath  the  ocean,  and  a 
fraction  only  of  the  remaining  portion  having  been 
as  yet  carefully  investigated  by  geologists.  Nor 
must  we  overlook  the  large  spaces  occupied  by  form- 
ations newer  than  the  Silurian,  which  may  conceal 
from  our  view  fossilifcrous  strata  older  than  any  yet 
brought  to  light. 

As  it  is  still  a  favourite  theory  of  many  geologists, 
that  the  granite  and  other  formations,  both  stratified 
and  unstratified,  which  I  have  called  hypogene,  were 
produced  in  far  greater  abundance  before  the  origin 


JNB. 


Chap.  x«»' 


Chap.  xxi. 


OLDEST    KNOWN    STRATA. 


lOT 


n  Sweden,  and 
;  MohawVi ;  and 
of  Lake  Cham- 
l\s,  however,  the 
iss,  do  not  belong 
ower  member  of 
norenci,buttothe 

nely,  those  called 
ff  York  surveyors. 

a  warning  against 
f  these  sections  we 
west  stratum  con- 
jst  of  the  earth,  or 

first  living  be>i.g3 

it,  we  must  not  ftr- 
e' those  which  must 
5y  aqueous  denuda- 

extensively  altered 
ilso  remember  how 

is  accessible  to  hu- 
f  the  surface  of  the 
h  the  ocean,  and  a 
portion  having  been 
by  geologists.  ISor 
•es  occupied  by  form- 
,  which  may  conceal 
.ta  older  than  any  yet 

•V  of  many  geologists, 
nations,  both  stratified 
called  hypogene,  were 

,nce  before  the  origin 


of  the  oldest  strata  at  present  known  to  contain  fos- 
sils than  at  any  subsequent  period ;  and  as  some  are 
disposed  to  consider  their  conclusions  on  this  head 
much  strengthened  by  the  fact  that,  in  North  Ame- 
.  rica,  as  in  Europe,  there  are  certain  points  where 
granite,  mica  schist,  and  gneiss,  can  be  shown  to  be 
of  j)rior  date  to  any  of  the  fossiliferous  rocks  hitherto 
detected  ;  I  shall  briefly  refer  to  the  leading  argu- 
ments against  this  doctrine,  which  I  have  advanced 
both  in  my  "  Principles"  and  "  Elements  of  Geo- 
logy." 

The  crystalline  formations,  such  as  granite  and 
gneiss,  were  termed  primitive  and  primary  by  some 
of  the  earlier  observers,  because  in  each  district  they 
are  the  lowest  in  geological  position.  It  is  now  un- 
derstood, in  regard  to  granite,  syenite,  and  the  un- 
stratified  class,  that  they  are  of  various  ages,  often 
newer  than  fossiliferous  strata,  and  that  it  by  no 
means  follows  that  they  were  first  in  the  order  of 
time,  because  they  are  inferior  in  position.  Paradox- 
ical as  the  first  statement  of  this  proposition  appears, 
it  is  now  acknowledged,  that  the  superstructure  is 
often  older  than  the  foundation  on  which  it  rests,  the 
latter  having  been  forced  up  subsequently  from  be- 
low either  in  a  solid  form,  or,  more  frequently,  like 
lava  in  a  volcano.  It  is  also  now  admitted,  in  direct 
contradiction  to  all  preconceived  opinions,  that  many 
stratified  hypogene  formations,  the  gneiss,  mica 
schist,  talcosc  schist,  and  saccharine  marble  of  the 
Alps,  Appenines,  and  other  districts,  have  assumed 
their  crystalline  texture  after  the  origin  of  many  of 
the  fossiliferous  strata,  even  in  some  cases  long  after 


'  ! ' 


>  • 


*)i 


i 


108 


(»LI)i;«T    KNOWN    HTKATA. 


Chap.  xxi. 


yi    •  m 


i 


the  doposition  of  those  which  repose  directly  upon 
them. 

Nevertheless,  if  wo  confine  the  term  primary  to 
all  rocks  which  we  can  prove  to  be  of  older  date 
than  strata  in  which  organic  remains  have  yet  been 
discovered,  wc  may  aflirm  that  the  gneiss  of  Kinne- 
kulle  in  Sweden  before  alkided  to,  or  of  the  Falls  of 
Montmorcnci,  and  many  of  the  unstratified  or  Plu- 
tonic rocks  of  the  Adirondack  Mountains,  west  of 
Lake  Champlain,  are  truly  primary.  Wc  nmy  also 
extend  the  same  appellation,  without  much  liability 
of  error,  to  all  the  crystalline  rocks  found  for  a  con- 
siderable space  on  every  side  of  the  points  where  the 
lowest  strata  charged  with  fossils  are  incumbent  upon 
the  non-fossiliferous  formations.  But  the  farther  wo 
go  from  such  points  of  departure,  the  more  unsafe 
does  our  generalization  become ;  and  the  American 
geologists  have  already  found  reason  to  retract  their 
first  conclusion,  that  the  gneissose,  micaceous,  and 
talcose  schists,  of  the  Taconic  range  (see  above,  p. 
245,  Vol.  I.),  are  referable  to  a  primary  series. 

The  posteriority  of  age  of  many  masses  of  granite 
and  other  Plutonic  rocks  is  more  easily  proved  than 
the  modern  origin  of  the  stratified  hypogcne  forma- 
tions, because  the  former  produce  alterations  of  mo- 
derate extent,  at  the  point  of  contact,  or  send  veins 
into  the  newer  fossiliferous  strata.  But  where  these 
strata  have  been  altered  on  a  great  scale  in  texture, 
by  heat  and  other  subterranean  causes,  the  evidence 
of  transmutation  is  difficult  to  detect  in  proportion  to 
the  intensity  of  the  metamorphic  action.  The  study 
of  the  Alps  and  Appenines  has  shown  that  it  is  cha- 
racteristic of  such  action  to  annihilate  all  signs  of  the 


Chap.  xxi. 


Chap.  xxi. 


now    FAR    I'IMMtTIVK. 


109 


dftto  of  its  dcvclopiTK  nt,  by  tho  obliteration  through- 
out entire  mountain  masses  of  all  traces  of  organic 
structure.  Wo  arc  therefore  entitled,  on  every  prin- 
ciple of  sound  reasoi  mg,  to  suspect,  that  for  one  case 
where  we  can  posit  .-ly  establish  the  secondary  ori- 
gin of  any  set  of  crystalline  strata,  there  are  many 
others  vvh(Te  the  proofs  of  their  modern  origin  have 
been  destroyed. 

A  geologist  whose  obsurvations  had  been  confmed 
to  Switzerland  might  imagine  that  the  coal  measures 
were  the  most  ancient  of  the  fossiliferous  series. 
When  ho  extended  his  investigations  to  Scotland,  he 
might  modify  his  views  so  far  as  to  suppose  that  tho 
Old  Red  sandstone  marked  the  beginning  of  tho  rocks 
charged  with  organic  remains.  He  might,  indeod, 
after  a  search  of  many  years,  admit  that  here  and 
there  some  few  and  faint  traces  of  fossils  had  been 
found,  in  still  older  slates,  in  Scotland  ;  but  he  might 
naturally  conclude  that  all  pre-existing  fossiliferous 
formations  must  be  very  insignificant,  since  no  peb- 
bles containing  organic  remains  have  yet  been  de- 
tected in  the  conglomerates  of  tho  Old  Red  sand- 
stone. Great  would  be  the  surprise  of  such  a  theo- 
rist, when  ho  learnt  that  in  other  parts  of  Europe,  and 
still  more  remarkably  in  North  America,  a  great  suc- 
cession of  antecedent  sets  of  strata  had  been  disco- 
vered, capable,  according  to  some  of  the  ablest 
paleontologists,  of  constituting  no  less  than  three 
independent  groups,  which  arc  each  of  them  as  im- 
portant as  the  "  Old  Red"  or  Devonian  system,  and 
as  distinguishable  from  each  other  by  their  organic 
remains.  Yet  it  would  bo  consistent  with  methods 
of  generalizing  not  uncommon  on  such  subjects,  if  he 

VOL.  11.  1 1 


i  I 


f*>f 


no 


OLDEST    KNOWN    STRATA. 


Chap.  xxi. 


Still  took  for  granted  that  in  the  lowest  of  these 
"  Transition"  or  Silurian  rocks,  he  had  at  length  ar- 
rived at  the  much-wished-for  termination  of  the  fos- 
siliferous  series,  and  that  nature  had  begun  her  work 
precisely  at  the  point  where  his  retrospect  happened 
then  to  terminate. 

It  may  be  useful  to  inquire,  whence  arises  this 
strong  tendency  to  believe  that  the  present  limits  of 
human  knowledge  in  geological  science  exactly  em- 
brace that  period  of  past  time  in  which  organic  beings 
have  flourished  on  the  earth.  If  it  be  a  very  com- 
mon delusion,  there  must  be  some  cause  for  its  popu- 
larity. Its  source  is,  I  believe,  twofold ;  first,  it  is 
almost  unavoidable  that  we  should  under-ratc  the 
magnitude  of  the  subterranean  changes  now  in  pro- 
gress at  great  depths  in  the  earth's  crust ;  and, 
secondly,  that  we  should  equally  exaggerate  the 
amount  of  those  which  took  place  far  below  the  sur- 
face at  former  eras,  especially  those  most  remote 
from  our  times. 

In  regard  to  the  first  of  these  sources  of  error,  we 
have  of  late  years  grov»ii  familiar  with  the  proofs  of 
great  subsidence  and  upheaval  of  lanr'  in  modern 
times,  without  sufficiently  reflecting  on  the  enormous 
alterations  in  the  condition,  and  probably  the  struc- 
ture, of  the  subjacent  parts  of  the  earth's  crust,  which 
are  implied  by  these  movements.  The  connection 
of  such  rising  and  sinking  of  the  solid  parts  of  the 
globe  with  volcanic  action  can  be  demonstrated  in 
many  places,  and  fairly  inferred  in  others,  where  the 
action  of  subterranean  heat,  owing  to  its  great  depth, 
is  latent.  I  have  endeavoured  elsewhere  to  explam 
the  grounds  which  we  have  for  inferring  that  crystal- 


/'■ 


Chap,  xxi 


HOW    FAR    I'KIMITIVK. 


Ill 


line  formations  have  been  elaborated  at  many  suc- 
cessive periods,  both  secondary,  tertiary,  and  still 
more  modern.  We  need  go  no  farther,  indeed,  than 
the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  novi^  under  consider- 
ation, to  find  wide  areas  covered  with  marine  shells 
of  recent  species,  at  the  height  of  500  feet  above  the 
sea,  and  where  all  the  rocks  can  be  shown,  both  to 
have  sunk  and  to  have  been  again  uplifted  bodily,  for 
a  height  and  depth  of  many  hundred  feet,  since  the 
deposition  of  these  shells. 

But  however  firmly  we  may  be  convinced  that 
subterranean  causes,  connected  with  the  develop- 
ment of  internal  heat,  have  operated  with  great,  and 
perhaps  nearly  uniform  intensity,  at  each  successive 
geological  period  of  equal  duration,  we  must  still  be 
prepared  to  find  that  by  far  the  largest  portions  of  the 
visible  hypogcne  rocks  are  of  high  relative  antiquity 
to  the  fossiliferous  deposits.  This  must  happen,  if  we 
are  correct  in  assuming  that  the  crystalline  rocks, 
whether  stratified  or  unstratified,  have  been  formed 
originally  at  considerable  depths  in  the  crust  of  the 
earth.  For  in  that  case,  a  long  period  of  time  must 
have  elapsed  after  their  origin  before  they  can  have 
been  brought  up  within  the  sphere  of  human  obser- 
vation. There  must  have  been  great  upheaval  and 
denudation  to  cause  them  to  emerge,  even  in  a  single 
district  ;  but  it  must  require  a  series  of  geological 
epochs  before  those  formed  at  a  given  era  of  the  past 
can  have  become  generally  exposed  ^t  the  surface. 
A  repetition  of  one  series  of  elevatory  movements 
after  another  must  have  taken  place  in  diflfe rent  areas, 
accompanied  by  denudation  ;  and  while  such  forces 
are  acting,  the  deposition  of  new  strata  is  going  on. 


rj,i!s 


'I 


i 


i 


■ 


\\' 


■; 
I 

M 


113 


PRIMITIVE    FORMATIONS. 


Chap.  xxi. 


and  the  pre-existing  crystalline  rocks  are  becoming 
relatively  more  a||d  more  ancient. 

What  was  before  said  of  the  succession  of  ages  re- 
quired to  raise  deep-sea  formations  extensively  to  the 
surface  (see  p.  47)  is  equally  applicable  to  rocks  of 
deep  subterranean  origin.  Hence  it  follows  that  the 
high  relative  antiquity  of  the  visible  crystalline  rocks 
affords  no  better  a  presumption  in  favour  of  a  period 
when  nothing  but  granite  and  gneiss  were  formed, 
than  the  pelagic  character  of  the  visible  Silurian 
strata  and  the  absence  of  contemporaneous  littoral 
deposits,  imply  the  universality  of  the  ancient  ocean. 


>}' ' }  '■* 


r  ii 


1«i 


Chap,  xxii 


GLACIAL    FURROWS. 


113 


Chap.  xxi. 
re  becoming 

• 

)n  of  ages  re- 
[isively  to  the 
e  to  rocks  of 
lows  that  the 
^staUine  rocks 
ar  of  a  period 
were  formed, 
isible  Silurian 
aneous  littoral 
ancient  ocean. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Glacial  Furrows  in  the  Valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence. — Action  of 
packed  Ice  in  the  Canadian  Rivera. — Bouldir  Formation  with 
and  without  Shells. — Gannanoqui. — Mountain  of  Montreal.— • 
Recent  Shells  in  Drift  more  than  500  Feet  above  the  Sea. — 
Lake  St.  Peter, — Falls  of  Maskinongi. — Deposit  of  Shells  at 
Beauporl  near  Quebec. — Agreement  with  Swedish  Fossils. — 
Shells  in  Boulder  Formaiivn  of  Lake  Champlain. — Burling- 
ton, Vermont. — Fossils  of  Drift  imply  a  colder  Climate. — 
Scenery  of  Lake  Champlain. — Organic  Remains  of  lowest 
Silurian  Sandstone. — Lingula. —  Vermont  Mountains. — Inns 
and  Boarding  Houses. — Return  to  Boston. 

I  HAD  frequent  opportunities  in  the  valley  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  especially  at  Kingston,  and  in  the  country 
between  that  city  and  Gannanoqui,  of  examining  the 
recently  bared  surface  of  the  fundamental  rocks,  con- 
sisting of,  first,  granite  ;  2dly,  quartzose  (or  Potsdam) 
sandstone ;  3dly,  lower  Silurian  (or  Trenton)  lime- 
stone. Wherever  the  drift  or  superficial  clay  and 
gravel  have  been  removed,  the  su;  faces  of  these  rocks 
are  worn,  smoothed,  and  furrowed,  the  furrows  being 
least  clea  !y  defined  on  the  sandstone. 

The  direction  of  ail  the  straight  and  parallel  grooves 
was  nearly  N.  E.  and  S.  W.,  differing  uniformly  in 
their  general  course  from  those  traced  by  Professor 
Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Percival  through  New  England, 
where  they  run  usually  from  N.  N.  W.  to  S.  S.  E. 
It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  in  both  regions  the  erratic 
blocks  and  boulders  have  been  transported  south- 
wards, along  the  same  lines  as  arc  marked  out  by 

11* 


•'I 


I 


M 


if 

V 


li^  ! 


.<ni 


^1 


114 


GLACIAL    FUKROWsi. 


Chap.  xxii. 


the  direction  of  the  furrows.  There  is  obviously, 
therefore,  a  connection  between  these  two  distinct 
classes  of  phenomena  ;  and  I  know  of  no  theory  that 
can  account  for  both  of  them,  with  any  plausibility, 
except  that  already  alluded  to  in  the  last  chapter, 
viz.,  the  agency  of  large  islands  of  floating  ice,  which, 
by  their  buoyancy  and  enormous  weight,  supply  the 
carrying  power  and  pressure  required  to  scratch, 
polish,  and  groove  the  solid  floor  of  the  ocean,  and 
to  convey  stones  of  all  sizes,  firmly  fixed  and  frozen 
into  the  ice,  to  great  distances. 

As  large  masses  of  ice  are  annually  accumulated 
in  the  rivers  of  Lower  Canada,  and  when  they  break 
up  in  spring  are  often  the  means  of  conveying  from 
place  to  place,  huge  fragments  of  rock,  I  hoped  to 
discover  indications,  not  only  of  the  polishing,  but 
also  of  the  grooving  of  the  surface,  at  those  points 
where  the  packed  ice  is  forced  every  year  over  the 
bottoms  of  the  Canadian  rivers.  Accordingly,  at 
Quebec,  I  went  with  Colonel  Codrington,  and  search- 
ed carefully  below  the  city  in  the  channel  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  at  low  water  near  the  shore,  for  the  signs 
of  glacial  action,  at  the  precise  point  where  the  chief 
pressure  and  friction  of  packed  ice  are  exerted  every 
year.  But  the  edges  of  the  worn  greywacke  slates, 
in  the  channel  there,  are  scarcely  any  of  them  hard 
enough  to  receive  or  retain  such  markings,  and  if 
they  were  so,  the  weight  of  the  ice  would  probably 
be  insufficient.  At  the  bridge  above  the  Falls,  at 
Montmorenci,  over  which  a  large  quantity  of  ice 
passes  every  year,  the  gneiss  is  polished,  and  kept 
perfectly  free  from  lichens,  but  not  more  so  than  rocks 
similarly  situated  at  waterfalls  in  Scotland.     In  none 


Chap.  xxii. 


AT    KINGSTON    ANU    UUKEKC. 


115 


of  these  places  were  any  long  straight  grooves  ob- 
servable, and  I  feel  persuaded  that  any  degree  of 
freedom  of  motion  in  the  rocky  fragments  forced 
along  by  small  pieces  of  ice,  or  by  a  flood  of  water, 
would  be  quite  incompatible  with  the  mechanical 
effects  exhibited  in  what  are  called  glacial  furrows. 

I  have  stated  that,  between  Kingston  and  Quebec, 
the  quartzosG  sandstone  retains  the  grooving  much 
less  distinctly  than  the  limestone  or  granite.  The 
largest  area  over  which  I  observed  the  furrows  to 
preserve  a  perfect  parallelism,  was  a  floor  of  lime- 
stone forty  yards  wide,  from  which  clay  had  recently 
been  removed.  It  was  situated  about  six  miles  west 
of  Gannanoqui.  I  saw  the  surfaces  of  smoothed 
granite  on  the  Rideau  Canal,  six  miles  north  of 
Kingston,  swelling  into  those  flattened  dome-shaped 
forms  called  "  roches  moutonnees,"  so  common  in 
Sweden,  and  near  the  glaciers  in  Switzerland. 

Although  in  this  part  of  Canada  the  boulders  are 
usually  uppermost,  yet  at  some  points,  near  Gannan- 
oqui, and  elsewhere,  they  have  been  found,  in  sink- 
ing wells,  to  lie  thirty  feet  deep  in  the  clay  and 
sand. 

The  St.  Lawrence,  in  its  course  from  Lake  Onta- 
rio to  Montreal,  a  distance  of  about  160  miles  in  a 
direct  line,  has  a  wide  extent  of  low  ground  on  both 
sides  of  it.  The  river  falls  in  that  distance  214  feet, 
descending  by  a  succession  of  rapids,  between  which 
are  lake-like  expansions.  At  the  rapids,  the  Transi- 
tion limestone,  or  sandstone,  or  the  intrusive  trap,  or 
subjacent  gneiss,  are  exposed,  but  the  valley  is  for 
the  most  part  occupied  by  the  boulder  formation,  the 
thickness  of  which,  at  the  Belouse  rapid,  and  at 


I II 


i'. 


■il\ 


<;  I 


I 

!  1 


il 


hM 


n 


a^aHM 


116 


VALLEY    OF    ST.    LAWRENCE. 


Chap.  xxii. 


Cornwall,  varies  from  twenty  to  forty  feet.  At  Co- 
teau  du  Lac,  "  the  Cascades,"  and  St.  Ignatius,  it 
constitutes  a  broad  terrace,  80  to  100  feet  above  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  the  small  streams  which  drain 
the  terrace  have  cut  deep  gulleys  or  valleys  through 
the  clay. 

This  drift,  or  deposit  of  clay,  sand,  and  gravel,  is 
more  usually  stratified  than  that  associated  with  large 
boulders  in  Scotland.  It  is  generally  destitute  of 
organic  remains,  but  in  a  few  places  contains  them  in 
abundance.  In  order  to  show  the  identity  of  the 
fossiliferous  and  non-fossiliferous  portions  of  this 
formation,  it  will  be  necessary  to  enter  into  some 
details,  which  may  not  be  without  interest  to  the 
geologist  who  considers  in  how  much  obscurity  all 
phenomena  bearing  on  the  glacial  period  is  still  in- 
volved. 

Travelling  from  the  south-west,  I  found  no  shells 
in  the  drift  till  I  reached  Montreal,  which  stands  at 
the  base  of  a  mountain  rising  abruptly  from  a  broad 
plain  where  the  valleys  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  the 
Ottawa  meet.  This  mountain,  which  is  740  feet  high 
above  the  St.  Lawrence,  terminates  in  two  summits, 
one  considerably  higher  than  the  other,  and  capped, 
as  before  stated,  with  a  mass  of  greenstone  about 
eighty  feet  thick.  The  subjacent  beds  of  Silurian 
limestone  are  traversed  by  dykes  and  veins  of  trap. 
At  the  base  of  the  hill,  on  its  eastern  side,  in  the 
suburbs  of  Montreal,  we  find  clay  and  sand  {d,  c, 
fig.  13)  above  100  feet  deep,  in  which  marine  shells 
occur.  This  deposit  forms  a  terrace  which  ends  , 
abruptly  in  the  steep  bank  (e)  facing  the  river-plain, 
and  running  parallel  to  it  for  three  or  four  miles. 


Chap.  xxii. 


MOUNTAIN    OP    MONTUEAI,. 


117 


id,  and  gravel,  is 
jciated  with  large 

rallv  destitute  ot 
s  contains  them  m 
t,e  identity  of  the 
portions  of   this 
3  enter  into  some 
3at  interest  to  the 
much  obscurity  ah 
,al  period  is  still  m- 

St  I  found  no  shells 
eJl,  >vhich  stands  at 

,,„  f|.„m  a  broad 
it.  Lawrence  and  the 
„hichi3l40feeth,gh 
lates  in  WO  summits, 
,e  other,  and  capped, 
of  greenstone  about 
,ent  beds  of  SUunan 
Ues  and  veins  ot  trap. 

,  eastern  «de,  •"  * 
day  and  sand  (rf,   ■ 
i„«hich  marine  sheU.,, 

'terrace  which  en^.i 

facin"  the  river-plM", 

,f  Xreo  or  fo»v  «.««■ 


It  varies  in  height  from  50  to  150  feet,  and  at  its 
base  is  a  low  flat  of  more  modern  gravel  (/),  rising 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  the  St.  Lawrence.  In 
certain  places,  as  at  the  Cdte  St.  Pierre,  on  the  road 
from  Montreal  to  Lachine,  the  surface  of  the  terrace 
slopes  from  e  to  d,  or  towards  the  mountain.  A  good 
section  of  this  modern  deposit  was  to  be  seen  at  the 
Tanneries,  a  village  in  the  parish  of  St.  Henri  in  the 

Fig.  13. 


Section  of  Montreal  viountain,  with  shelly  drift  at  its  base. 

A.  Silurian  limeatono. 

B.  Trap  or  greenstone. 

c.  Dykes  of  basaltic  trap. 

d.  Dylte  of  filspathic  trap,  or  clay  stone-porphyry, 
d.  e.  Terrace  of  drift  with  shells. 

/.  Gravel,  on  which  part  of  Montreal  stands. 
ff.  River  St.  Lawrence. 


suburbs  of  Montreal,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  (June, 

[1842).     Excavations  had  recently  been  made  for  a 

lew  road,  exposing   horizontal   beds  of  loam   and 

arly  clay,  in  one  of  which,  at  the  height  of  about 

lixty  feet  above  the  St.  Lawrence,  1  observed  great 

lumbers  of  the  Mytilus  edulis,  or  our  common  Euro- 

•ean  mussel,  the   shells  retaining  both  valves  and 

leir  purple  colour.     In  the  same  beds  were  speci- 

lens  of  Tellina  grosnlandica,  and  a  few  of  Saxicava 


M 


i  ii  * 


I 


!      I 


K,   :i;; 


i;: 


118 


HEIGHT    OF    SHELLY    DRIFT 


Chap.  xxii. 


rugosa.  In  the  midst  of  the  shells,  I  found  a  single 
isolated  boulder  of  gneiss,  six  inches  in  diameter. 
The  Mytilus,  although  so  abundant  in  this  bed,  is  by 
no  means  of  common  occurrence  in  the  drift  of  Lower 
Canada.  The  colour  of  the  layers  containing  the 
Mytilus  reminded  me  of  those  purple  marls  which  I 
had  seen  in  the  boulder  formation  of  Sweden,  pro- 
duced by  the  decomposition  of  countless  numbers  of 
these  same  shells.* 

At  the  C6te  St.  Pierre,  near  the  house  of  Mr. 
Brodie,  forty  feet  above  the  section  in  the  road  last 
mentioned,  and  about  ninety  feet  above  the  river, 
gravelly  beds  appeared,  in  which  the  Tellina  graen- 
landica  and  Mya  arenaria  were  abundant,  retaining 
both  valves  ;  they  were  also  accompanied  by  Saxi- 
cava  rugos'a.  The  shelf  {d,  e)  containing  these 
remains  is  intersected  here  and  there  by  deep  narrow 
gullies,  one  of  which  terminates  at  the  Tanneries. 
In  the  channels  of  the  small  streams  draining  these 
gullies  I  found  fossil  shells,  washed  out  of  the  clay 
and  sand,  among  which  were  a  new  species  ofAstarte 
{A.  Laurentiand),  Saxicava  rugosa,  and  Tellina  grasn- 
landica,  yet  nowhere  could  I  see  a  single  shell  in  situ. 
At  some  points,  the  upper  beds  of  sand  and  gravel, 
at  the  same  level  as  the  shelly  beds  with  Mytilus, 
before  alluded  to,  become  very  coarse,  and  contain 
boulders  of  gneiss  and  syenite  three  feet  in  diameter, 
showing  the  inseparable  connection  between  the 
fossils  and  the  ordinarv  boulder  formation  of  Canada. 

As  I  could  find  no  organic  remains  at  any  points 
higher  than  the  terrace  d,  e,fig.  13,  or  none  that  were 

♦  Phil.  Trans.  1835,  p.  7. 


I 


m 


Chap.  xxii. 

jund  a  single 

in  diameter, 
his  bed,  is  by 
drift  of  Lower 
;ontaining  the 
marls  which  I 

Sweden,  pro- 
5ss  numbers  of 

house  of  Mr. 
n  the  road  last 
30ve  the  river, 
;  Tellina  grcEU- 
ndant,  retaining 
panied  by  Saxi- 
jontaining  these 

by  deep  narrow 
.  the  Tanneries, 
^s  draining  these 

out  of  the  clay 
ipeciesofAsfaHe 

ind  Tellina  gran- 
[ngle  shell  in  situ. 
Band  and  gravel, 
[ds  with  Mytilus, 
,rse,  and  contain 
.  feet  in  diameter, 
[on    between    the 
.lation  of  Canada, 
ins  at  any  points 
[or  none  that  were 


Chap.  xxii. 


IN    MOUNTAIN    OP    MOVTREAI.. 


119 


elevated  200  feet  above  the  river,  I  might  have  gonft 
away  with  the  notion  that  the  fossiliforous  drift  was 
confined  to  a  comparatively  low  level,  if  Mr.  Logan 
had  not  informed  me  the  year  before  that  Mr.  M'Cord 
had  been  foitunate  enough  to  meet  with  a  small 
patch  of  gravel  full  of  sea-shells  at  the  height  of  moro 
that  500  feet  in  the  hollow  between  the  two  eminences 
which  form  the  Montreal  mountain.  I  was  conducted 
by  Dr.  Holmes  to  this  place,  called  the  C6te  de  Ncige, 
and  found  there  a  bed  of  gravel  six  feet  thick,  con- 
taining numerous  valves  of  recent  species,  Saxicava 
rugosa.  and  Tellina  gra:nlandica.  The  deposit  was 
covered  by  an  unstratified  mass  of  boulders  and  gravel 
twelve  feet  thick,  which  would  have  entirely  con- 
cealed the  shelly  beds,  had  not  the  gravel  been  lately 
dug  for  road-making. 

Mr.  M'Cord  estimated,  from  barometrical  measure- 
ments, the  height  of  these  shells  above  the  St.  Law- 
rence, at  Montreal,  at  429  feet,  which  would  give 
them  an  elevation  above  the  sea  of  about  450  feet  ;•  but 
the  same  series  of  barometrical  observations  gave  only 
668  leet  for  the  summit  of  Montreal  mountain  above 
the  river,  whereas  Capt.  Bayfield  determined,  by  the 
mean  of  three  trigonometrical  measurements,  the  true 
height  to  be  760  feet,  or  92  feet  more.  I  am  in- 
clined, therefore,  to  believe  that  the  shells  are  520 
feet  above  the  river,  or  540  feet  above  the  sea,  which 
gives  an  elevation  of  306  feet  above  Lake  Ontario, 
and  places  them  nearly  on  a  level  with  Lake  Erie, 
which  is  565  feet  above  the  sea.  Even  if  we  adopt 
the  lower  estimate  of  Mr.  M'Cord,  and  suppose  the 
shells  to  be  only  450  feet  above  the  sea,  they  would 
be  within  55  feet  of  the  summit  of  the  Falls  of  Nia- 


If?!:.: 


' '  ( 


U!; 


i 


: 


\ 


M^ 


>i  ■. 


V 


120 


DRIFT    OF    MASKINONUK. 


Chap.  xxii. 


I 


gara,  and  more  than  200  feet  above  Ontario,  between 
which  lake  and  the  mountain  of  Montreal  there  is  an 
open  and  uninterrupted  valley. 

After  this  discovery  of  marine  shells  of  living 
species,  at  so  great  an  elevation  in  the  drift  of 
Canada,  we  must  either  conclude  that  the  boulder  for- 
mation of  the  Niagara  district  was  deposited  in  the 
same  sea,  or  abandon  all  idea  of  any  approach  to 
uniformity  in  the  last  series  of  upward  movements, 
which  raised  the  great  lake  district  to  its  present 
height. 

Between  Montreal  and  Quebec,  a  distance  of  about 
140  miles,  in  a  straight  line,  I  found  the  older  rocks 
covered  with  a  stratified  drift  similar  to  that  already 
described,  the  lower  beds  usually  consisting  of  lami- 
nated clay,  and  the  upper  of  sand  ;  but  this  arrange- 
ment is  not  constant.  Boulders  are  for  the  most 
part  sparingly  interspersed,  and  often  only  seen  on 
the  surface.  As  I  know  that  Capt.  Bayfield  had 
met' with  marine  shells  in  abundance,  in  the  drift 
at  several  points  between  Quebec  and  Montreal,  I 
inquired  everywhere  for  fossils  in  the  intervening 
country,  but  neither  at  Sorel,  nor  between  Berthier 
and  Maskinonge,  nor  on  the  shores  of  Lake  St.  Peter, 
could  I  see  or  hear  of  any. 

At  Lake  St.  Peter,  the  St.  Lawrence  expands  into 
a  lake,  bounded  by  a  low  alluvial  flat,  which  is 
sometimes  several  miles  broad.  This  flat  is  in  its 
turn  bounded  by  a  steep  bank  of  sandy  drift  forty 
feet  high,  in  which  I  could  find  no  shells.  Ascend- 
ing it  to  a  higher  level,  I  went  for  nine  miles  over 
a  sloping  terrace  of  drift  to  the  base  of  the  mountains 
of  gneiss,  where  the  Falls  of  Maskinonge  are  situ- 


Chap,  xxu 

irio,  between 
al  there  is  an 

ells  of  living 
the   drift  of 
le  boulder  for- 
;po9itcd  in  the 
y  approach  to 
rd  movements, 
,  to  its  present 

istance  of  about 
the  older  rocks 
r  to  that  already 
.nsisting  of  lami- 
but  this  arrange- 
re  for  the   most 
ten  only  seen  on 
pt.  Bayfield  had 
mce,  in  the  dnf 
and  Montreal,  1 
,  the  intervening 
between  Berthier 
of  Lake  St.  Peter, 

•cnce  expands  into 
ial  flat,  which  is 
This  flat  is  in  ^^s 
•  sandy  drift  forty 
o  shells.     Ascend- 
,r  nine  miles  over 
seofthemountams 

kskinong6  are  situ- 


Chap.  xxii. 


MARINE    SHELLS    IN    DRIFT. 


121 


ated.  On  the  way,  I  examined  the  clay  and  yellow 
sand  of  St.  Ursule,  and  other  places,  but  was  unable 
to  detect  a  single  shell.  At  the  falls,  at  a  height  of 
more  than  300  feet  above  the  St.  Lawrence,  the 
gneiss  makes  its  appearance  in  rounded  domes 
(rochcs  moutonndes).  Higher  up,  or  more  than  400 
feet  above  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  same  gneiss  is 
again  covered  deeply  with  stratified  yellow  sand, 
similar  to  that  of  the  lower  grounds. 

Although,  during  my  short  stay,  I  was  equally 
unsuccessful  in  detecting  any  marine  shells  at  Three 
Rivers,  they  have  been  met  with  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  at  Port  Neuf,  and  on  the  banks  of  the 
Jacques  Cartier  river,  twelve  miles  above  its  junction 
with  the  St.  Lawrence,  about  thirty  miles  above 
Quebec.  My  friend  Col.  Codrington  observed  there 
a  fine  section  of  drift,  laid  open  by  a  landslip  in  May, 
1842.  At  the  top  of  the  clifl'was  sand  about  thirty 
feet  thick,  and  below  blue  clay,  with  shells  of  Tellina 
calcarea,  T.  grcenlandica,  and  Astarte  Laurentiana. 

I  shall  next  describe  the  drift  with  shells  in  the  im- 
mediate neighbourhood  of  Quebec,  respecting  which 
my  curiosity  had  been  excited  as  early  as  the  winter 
of  1835,  when  Capt.  Bayfield,  then  engaged  in  a  tri- 
gonometrical survey  of  Canada,  sent  me  a  collection 
of  marine  fossil  shells.  In  his  letter,  he  described 
them  as  occurring  in  very  modern  strata,  bordering 
the  St.  Lawrence,  at  a  village  called  Beauport. 
When  they  arrived  in  London,  Dr.  Beck  of  Copen- 
hagen, an  eminent  conchologist,  happened  to  be  with 
me  ;  and  great  was  our  surprise,  on  opening  the  box, 
to  find  that  nearly  all  the  shells  agreed  specifically 

with  fossils  which,  in  the  summer  of  the  preceding 
VOL.  n.  12 


'th), 


r,  .1 


I 


122 


MARINE   BIIRLLS    IN    DllIFT 


Chap.  xxii. 


years,  I  had  obtained  at  Uddcvalla  in  Sweden,  and 
figured  in  my  paper  "  On  the  Rise  of  Land,"  dtc,  in 
the  Phil.  Trans,  for  1835.  Among  the  species  most 
abundant  in  these  remote  regions  (Scandinavia  and 
Canada),  were  Saxicava  rugosa,  My  a  truncata^  M. 
arenaria,  Tellina  calcarea,  T.  granlandica,  Natica 
clausa,  and  Balanus  Uddevallensis.  All  of  them  are 
species  now  living  in  the  northern  seas  ;  and  whereas 
I  had  found  them  fossil  in  latitudes  58°  and  60°  N. 
in  Sweden,  Capt.  Bayfield  sent  them  to  me  from  part 
of  Canada,  situated  in  latitude  47°  deg.  N.  In  both 
hemispheres,  they  arc  most  abundant  at  moderate 
elevations  above  the  sea,  not  exceeding  usually  200 
or  300  feet,  but  occasionally,  in  Norway,  they  attain, 
as  at  Montreal,  much  higher  levels.  As  some  of 
them  belonged  to  species  now  living  in  the  Greenland 
and  other  seas  in  high  latitudes,  Dr.  Beck  and  I  im- 
mediately concluded  that  this  fossil  fauna,  having  an 
almost  arctic  character,  must  formerly  have  had  a 
wider  range  than  the  same  assemblage  of  species  at 
present. 

Captain  Bayfield  had  called  my  attention  in  his 
letter  to  the  fact,  that  boulders  accompanied  the 
shells  in  such  a  manne/  as  to  imply,  that  they  had 
been  dropped  from  melting  icebergs  to  the  bottom 
of  a  sea,  in  which  the  moUusca  lived  and  died.  He 
also  furnished  me  with  evidence,  that  the  testacea 
now  inhabiting  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  difiered 
widely  as  a  whole  from  the  fossil  fauna  of  Beau- 
port.* 


•  See  my  paper  on  this  subject,  Geological  Trans,  vol.  ri.,  Se« 
cond  Series,  p.  135,  read  1839. 


Cha».  XX"- 

Sweden,  and 
and,"  &c.,  in 
species  most 
ndinavia  and 
truncatOy  M- 
^dica,  ISatica 
[\  of  Ihcm  are 
;  and  whereas 
80  and  00°  N. 
)  mc  from  pari 
g.  N.  In  both 
;t  at  moderate 
ing  usually  200 
vay,  tiiey  attain, 
,,  As  some  of 
in  the  Greenland 

.  Beck  and  1  im- 
auna,  having  an 
crly  have  had  a 
xQG  of  species  at 

attention  in  his 
iccompanied  the 
y,  that  they  had 
8  to  the  bottom 
!d  and  died.     He 
,hat  the  testacea 
awrence,  differed 
I  fauna  of  Beau- 


Chap.  xxii. 


OP    BEAUPORT,   NKAR    QIJF.DEC. 


123 


The  village  of  licauport  is  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant  from  the  St.  Lawrence,  on  its  left  bank, 
and  about  three  miles  below  Quebec.  Near  it,  a 
small  streamlet  flows  in  a  narrow  ravine,  about  110 
feet  deep,  partly  excavated  in  the  drift,  which,  like 
that  of  St.  David's  before  described  (p.  05),  had  filled 
a  more  ancient  hoKow  in  the  Silurian  strata.  By 
examining  the  cliff  immediately  below  Mr.  Ryland's 
house,  and  again  a  few  hundred  yards  to  the  west, 
where  lower  beds  were  laid  open  by  the  river,  and 
then  ascending  to  the  higher  grounds  northwards  and 
towards  St.  Michel,  I  obtained  the  annexed  section, 
the  different  parts  of  which  I  shall  now  (lescribe. 

Fig.  u. 


PolitioH  of  shelly  drift  in  the  rainiu:  at  ttc.iuiiurt,  »u,ir  (iiul/fc. 

A.  Horizontal  Lowur  Silurian  strttta. 

b.  Laminated  einy. 

c.  Yellow  unnd. 

d.  Dria  with  bnuldcra. 

e.  Mya,  Terebratula,  Ilc. 

f.  Mass  of  Saxieava  rugota. 

g.  Gravel  with  boulders. 

A.  Clay  and  sand  of  higher  grounds,  with  Saxieava,  tee, 
K.  Mr.  Ryland's  house. 

The  lowest  mass  of  drift  (b,  fig.  14),  having  a 
thickness  of  twenty-five  feet,  consists  of  fine,  lami- 
nated, stiff  blue  clay,  without  fossils,  similar  to  that 
containing  shells  on  the  Jacqbes  Cartier,  before  men- 
tioned.* Next  above,  the  beds  c  are  composed  of 
incoherent  yellow  sand,  in  regular  layers,  about 
twenty-five  feet  thick,  also  without  shells.  In  the 
next  mass,  d,  of  loam  and  blue  clay,  having  also  a 


't.rl, 


■:!3 


1 1 


.11 


124 


MARINE    SHELLS    IN    DRIFT         Chap.  XXII. 


[ 


f    1 


iRK'^ 


i|i 


ii 


ii: 


i  i 


1  ''i 

» 

1 

; 

1  :; 

ii 

1  ■ 

: 

1 

II  ' 

thickness  of  twenty-five  feet,  large  boulders  of  dark 
syenite  are  frequent.  I  found  no  contemporaneous 
fossils,  but  fragments  of  Encrinus  and  Trilobite,  de- 
rived from  the  older  formations.  Above  this,  in  e, 
the  fossils  commenced.  In  the  lowest  five  or  six 
feet,  they  are  rare,  but  become  more  abundant  above. 
They  are  embedded  in  layers  of  sand  and  loam  with 
pebbles.  The  Tellina  calcarea  is  most  common,  after 
which  may  be  mentioned  Mya  truncata,  Terehratula 
psittacea,  with  both  valves  united ;  Mytilus  edulist 
Scalaria  borealis,  S.  grasnlandica,  and  several  others. 

To  these  succeeds  a  remarkably  compact  mass  of 
shells,/,  twelve  feet  thick,  rudely  stratified,  consisting 
almost  entirely  of  the  Saxicava  rugosa,  most  of  them 
having  the  valves  united.  They  are  disposed  in  lay- 
ers in  every  position,  oftentimes  end  upwards,  and 
are  intermixed  with  a  slight  quantity  of  earthy  mat- 
ter and  pebbles,  some  of  the  latter  being  eight  inches 
in  diameter.  Most  of  the  shells  are  bleached  white, 
but  there  is  one  layer,  an  inch  thick,  in  which  they 
are  stained  of  a  ferruginous  colour,  as  in  the  English 
Crag.  The  individuals  of  the  Saxicava  are  smaller 
in  their  average  size  than  those  of  the  same  species 
in  the  great  bed  of  Uddevalla,  in  Sweden.  With 
the  Saxicava  is  associated  Balanus  miser,  and  more 
rarely  Natica  clausa  and  Mytilus  edulis. 

The  topmost  bed,  g,  in  this  vertical  section,  is  two 
or  three  feet  thick,  and  consists  of  sand,  gravel,  and 
boulders  of  granite,  distinct  from  the  boulders  in  rf; 
but  the  mass  g  appeared  to  me  to  be  superficifil,  and 
not  to  belong  to  the  shelly  drift.  The  bed  of  Saxi- 
cava,/, is  about  150  feet  above  the  level  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  but  is  by  no  means  the  newest  part  of  the 


HAP.  XX"' 

rs  of  dark 
poraneous 
ilobite,  de- 
I  this,  in  e, 
five  or  six 
daut  above. 
I  loam  with 
tnmon,  after 
Terehratula 
itilus  eduliSf 
veral  others, 
pact  mass  of 
ed,  consisting 
most  of  them 
gposed  in  lay- 
upwards,  and 
)f  earthy  mat- 
ig  eight  inches 
leached  white, 
in  which  they 
in  the  English 
tva  are  smaller 
,e  same  species 
Sweden.     With 
iser,  and  more 

is. 

I  section,  is  two 
ind,  gravel,  and 
boulders  in  d ; 
superficisil,  and 
he  bed  of  Saxi- 
level  of  the  St. 
iwestpartofthe 


Chap.  xxii.      of  beauvort,  near  uukbec. 


125 


drift  of  this  region,  for  I  found  the  ground  immedi- 
ately above,  or  north  of  K,  to  consist  of  a  sloping 
terrace,  in  which  are  horiz  s  ?  '  strata  of  clay  and 
yellow  sand,  as  at  h,  containing  Saxicava  rugosaj 
Tellina  grasnlandica,  and  other  marine  shells.  Some 
of  these  fossiliferous  beds  were  within  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  of  Mr.  Ry land's  house,  K,  and  about  200  feet 
above  the  St.  Lawrence  ;  but  I  observed  other  simi- 
lar beds  without  shells  several  miles  inland,  in  a 
north-westerly  direction,  from  300  to  400  feet  above 
the  sea. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  twenty-three  species  of 
fossils  which  I  procured  at  Beauport : — 

Tritonium  anglicanum.  Syn.  Buccinum  undatum,  var.  ? 

T.  fornicatum.  Syn.  Fusus  carinatus. 

Trichotropis  borealis. 

Natica  clausa.    N.  eeptentrionalis,  Beck. 
5.  Velutina. 

Scalaria  groenlandica. 

S.  borealis. 

Littorina  palliata,  Say. 

Mya  truncata. 
10.  M.  arenaria. 

Saxicava  rugosa. 

Tellina  groenlandica. 

T.  calcarea.    Agrees  with  recent  species  from  Boston. 

Astarte  Laurentiana.    New  species :  see  description  in 
note.* 

*  Fig.  15.    Astarte  Laurentiana. 


a.  Outaide. 

c.  iDBide  of  left  valve. 


f-i' 


ii 


126 


SHELLS    OF    BEAUFORT. 


Chap.  xxii. 


16.  Cardium  groenlandicum. 

C.  islandicum. 

Nucula.    Agrees  with  recent  species  found  by  Capt.  Bay- 
field in  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Mytilus  edulis. 

Pecten  islandicus. 
20.  Terebratula  psittacea. 

Balanus  miser. 

B.  Uddevallensis.  Syn.  B.  scoticus.    Found  recently  in  the 
German  Ocean,  off  Scarborough. 

Echinus  granulatus,  Say. 


I 


m  i  ' 


!^i 


At  the  falls  of  Montmorenci,  the  most  north- 
eastern place  which  I  visited  in  this  neighbourhood, 
I  saw  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  above  the  falls, 
and  close  to  the  bridge,  a  bed  of  gravel  and  sand, 
containing  large  boulders  of  gravel  and  syenite,  some 
of  them  three  feet  in  diameter.  In  this  coarse 
gravel  the  Saxicava  rugosa  and  Tellina  groenlandica 
occurred.  The  whole  mass  rested  on  Lower  Silurian 
limestone. 

I  did  not  examine  the  valley  of  the  Ottawa  River 
(see  map) ;  but  I  may  mention  that  Mr.  Logan  ob- 
tained near  Bytown  concretions  of  clay  similar  to 

This  must  be  regarded  as  an  Astarte,  although  somewhat 
difierent  from  the  usual  form ;  it  is  comparatively  (kin,  ii  is 
more  longitudinal,  it  is  deeper  or  more  gibbous ;  the  posterior 
lateral  tooth  in  one,  and  the  anterior  lateral  tooth  in  the  other 
valve,  are  more  than  usually  prominent.  The  shell  has  all  the 
usual  characters  of  the  Astarte ;  among  others,  the  small  se- 
cond vascular  impression  placed  above  the  anterior  adductor 
muscle.    The  following  are  its  characters : — 

A.  testa  subovali,  sublongitudinali,  tenuiuscull,  gibbosula,  ex- 
tfis  concentric^  confertim  sulcata ;  dente  laterali  utriusque  valvas 
prominentiori. 


DHAf.  *»"• 


Capt.  Bay- 


Chaf.  xxii. 


FOSSILS    OP    BOULDER    FORMATION. 


127 


recently  in  the 


most  north- 
ighbourhood, 
ove  the  falls, 
^el  and  sand, 

syenite,  some 
n  this  coarse 
a  graenlandica 

.ower  Silurian 

Ottawa  Kiver 
Mr.  Logan  ob- 
clay  similar  to 

Uhough  some>vhat 
.ratively  Oiin,  it  « 
ious;  the  posterior 
tooth  in  the  other 
,e  shell  has  all  the 
hers,  the  small  se- 
anterior  adductor 

sculi,  gibbosuia,  ex- 
terali  utriusque  valv» 


those  called  fairy  stones,  which  occur  without  fossils 
in  the  clay  at  Albany,  New  York,  and  at  Burlington, 
Vermont,  and  in  Massachusetts,  as  described  by  Pro- 
fessor Hitchcock.  In  the  centre  of  one  of  these 
nodules  was  the  entire  skeleton  of  a  fossil  fish,  allied 
to,  if  not  identical  with,  that  named  Mallotus  villosus 
by  Professor  Agassiz,  which  now  lives  in  the  Green- 
land seas,  and  is  also  found  fossil  in  Greenland. 

The  only  remaining  district  seen  by  me  where 
shells  have  been  discovered  in  the  boulder  formation, 
is  on  the  borders  of  Lake  Champlain,  about  eighty 
miles  south  of  Montreal.  The  basin  of  this  lake 
may  be  considered  as  a  southern  branch  of  the  valley 
of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  locality  is  important,  as 
being  the  most  southern  latitude  (44°  25'  N.)  to 
which  this  assemblage  of  arctic  fossils  has  been  traced. 
Professor  Emmons  has  given  an  account  of  the  spot 
where  the  shells  occur,  south  of  Port  Kent,  in  the 
county  of  Essex,  State  of  New  York,  at  a  point 
where  a  small  brook  enters  on  the  western  side  of 
the  lake.  In  this  place  I  observed,  at  the  bottom  of 
the  section,  first,  clay,  thirty  feet  thick,  with  boulders 
of  gneiss,  granite,  limestone,  and  quartzose  (Pots- 
dam) sandstone,  some  rounded  blocks  of  the  latter 
being  nine  feet  in  diameter ;  secondly,  loam  with 
shells,  six  feet  thick  ;  thirdly,  sand,  twenty  feet 
thick.  Although  the  shells  in  the  second  bed,  or  the 
loam,  were  very  numerous,  I  could  only  detect  four 
species,  namely,  Mytilus  edulis,  Saxicava  rugosa, 
Tellina  graenlandica,  and  Balanus  miser. 

Travelling  inland  from  this  spot  to  Keeseville,  I 
found  the  boulder  formation  of  great  depth,  covering 
the  older  rocks,  and  the  ascent  to  an  elevation  of 


f 


..U 


,.  I-  i.i 


>r. 


'  f  i 


>  (I 


128 


MARINE    FOSSILS    OF   THE 


Chap.  xxii. 


about  500  feet  is  by  a  succession  of  terraces,  composed 
chiefly  of  beds  of  sand.  I  consider  the  whole  of  these 
strata  to  be  upper  members  of  the  same  deposit, 
doubtless  all  marine,  although  no  shells  have  yet 
been  met  with  at  a  greater  height  than  forty  feet 
above  the  lake. 

At  Burlington,  in  Vermont,  on  the  opposite  or 
east  side  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  drift  consists 
chiefly  of  clay,  laminated  and  micaceous,  or  unlami- 
nated  and  without  mica.  In  this  clay,  argillaceous 
concretions  of  curious  forms  occur.  In  some  places 
beds  of  brick  earth,  sand,  and  gravel,  are  associated, 
pebbles  and  boulders  being  scattered  sparingly  through 
the  loam.  Professor  Benedict  pointed  out  to  me 
several  spots  where  this  loam  behind  the  town,  at 
the  height  of  tMr.y  and  forty  feet  above  the  lake, 
contains  shells  of  the  Tellina  graenlandica,  without 
any  other  species.  In  like  manner,  I  afterwards 
observed  this  Tellina  in  a  recent  state,  on  the  shores 
of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  in  Nova  Scotia,  strewed  for 
miles  along  the  beach  unmixed  with  other  species. 
At  the  Falls  of  the  Winouski  or  Onion  River,  near 
Burlington,  the  boulder  clay  attains  a  thickness  of 
200  feet.  Although  in  great  part  marly  and  cal- 
careous, it  is  barren  of  shells.  There  has  evidently 
been  great  denudation  of  the  drift  around  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  I  conceive  that  most  of  the  large  boulders 
of  granite,  syenite,  and  sandstone,  which  now  rest 
upon  the  surface,  may  once  have  been  dispersed 
through  the  mass.  Nothing,  however,  is  clearer 
than  that  here,  as  well  as  in  the  valley  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  between  Kingston  and  Quebec,  the 
marine  shells  of  recent  species  are  referable  to  the 


Chap.  xxii. 

,  composed 
Ac  of  these 
ne  deposit, 
5  have  yet 
n  forty  feet 

opposite  or 
rift  consists 
5,  or  unlami- 
argillaceous 
some  places 
•e  associated, 
ingly  through 
i  out  to  me 
the  town,  at 
ove  the  lake, 
ndica,  without 
1  afterwards 
on  the  shores 
1,  strewed  for 
other  species. 
m  River,  near 
a  thickness  of 
narly  and  cal- 
e  has  evidently 
nd  Lake  Cham- 
}  large  boulders 
;vhich  now  rest 
been  dispersed 
3ver,  is   clearer 
;alley  of  the  St. 
d    Quebec,    the 
referable  to  the 


Chap.  zxii. 


BOULDER    FORMATION. 


129 


same  geological  period  as  that  to  which  the  boulders 
belong.  The  shells  occur  both  below  and  above 
far-transported  fragments  of  rock,  and  the  funda- 
mental granite,  limestone,  and  other  rocks,  which 
support  the  shelly  drift  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and 
Lake  Champlain,  are  smoothed  and  furrowed  on  their 
surface  by  glacial  action. 

In  my  first  memoir  on  the  fossil  shells  sent  to  me 
by  Captain  Bayfield,  from  the  drift  near  Quebec,  I 
called  attention  to  the  fact,  that  the  number  of 
species  was  small,  while  the  individuals  were  nume- 
rous, a  character  belonging  to  the  fauna  of  seas  in 
high  latitudes.  At  the  same  time  it  was  shown, 
that  there  was  a  far  greater  variety  in  the  shells  now 
living  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Dr.  Gould, 
the  eminent  conchologist  of  Boston,  suggested  to  me, 
that  on  examining  a  greater  number  of  localities, 
especially  at  wide  distances  from  each  other,  I 
might  find  the  number  of  species  gradually  to  aug- 
ment. This  has  not  been  the  case,  and  when  we 
reflect,  that  at  Burlington  in  Vermont,  which,  as 
before  stated,  is  situated  in  latitude  44°  25'  N.,  or 
corresponding  to  the  latitude  of  Bordeaux  in  France, 
we  meet  with  the  same  assemblage  as  near  Quebec, 
latitude  46°  48'  N.,  and  at  some  points  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador,  in  latitude  50°,  most  of  them  being  identi- 
cal with  fossils  of  the  Scandinavian  drift,  in  latitudes 
58°  and  60°  N. ;  we  shall  be  inclined  to  acquiesce 
in  the  views  which  I  formerly  advanced,  respecting 
the  prevalence  of  a  colder  climate  in  these  regions 
at  the  time  when  the  boulder  formation  originated. 

July  5th. — Returning  to  Montreal  after  our  ex- 
cursion to  Quebec,  we  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  on 


<'M' 


I  f  .n  h 


1 


I  i 


I     < 


i  il '. 


180 


MONTREAL. — SWALLOWS. 


Chap,  zxn 


:i!)i. 
B 


m 


i 


^1: 


1 


<:)|l|i 


mm 


our  way  southward  to  La  Prairie.  On  looking 
back  over  the  river  at  Montreal,  the  whole  city 
seemed  in  a  blaze  of  light,  owing  to  the  fashion  here 
of  covering  the  houses  with  tin,  which  reflected  the 
rays  of  the  setting  sun,  so  that  every  roof  seemed 
a  mirror.  Behind  the  city  rose  its  steep  and  shapely 
mountain,  and  in  front  were  wooded  islands,  and  the 
clear  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  svv^eeping  along  with 
a  broad  and  rapid  current.  At  the  barracks  in  La 
Prairie,  a  regiment  of  hussars  was  exercising — a  scene 
characteristic  of  the  times.  On  our  way  to  Lake 
Champlain  we  slept  at  St.  John's,  where  I  counted 
under  the  eaves  of  the  stable  of  our  inn  more  than 
forty  nests  of  a  species  of  swallow  with  a  red  breast. 
The  head  of  a  young  bird  was  peeping  out  of  each 
nest,  and  the  old  ones  were  flying  about,  feeding 
them.  The  landlord  told  me,  that  they  had  built 
there  for  twenty  years,  but  missed  the  two  years 
when  the  cholera  raged,  for  at  that  time  there  was 
a  scarcity  of  insects.  Our  host  also  mentioned,  that 
in  making  an  excavation  lately  near  Prattsburg, 
about  1000  of  these  birds  were  found  hybernating 
in  the  sand  :  a  tale  for  the  truth  of  which  I  do  not 
vouch ;  but  it  agrees  with  some  old  accounts  of  the 
occasional  hybernation  of  our  swallows  in  similar 
situations. 

We  next  crossed  Lake  Champlain  to  Burlington, 
in  Vermont,  in  a  steamboat,  which,  for  neatness, 
elegance,  and  rapidity,  excelled  any  we  had  yet 
beheld.  The  number  of  travellers  has  been  sensibly 
thinned  this  year  by  the  depressed  state  of  commerce. 
The  scenery  of  this  lake  is  deservedly  much  ad- 
mired.    To  the  west  we  saw  the  principal  range  of 


3haf.  xxxx 

L  looking 
hole  city 
ihion  here 
lected  the 
)f  seemed 
id  shapely 
is,  and  the 
along  with 
acks  in  La 
ig — a  scene 
ay  to  Lake 
Q  1  counted 
1  more  than 
I  red  breast, 
out  of  each 
)OUt,  feeding 
ey  had  built 
le  two  years 
fie  there  was 
entioned,  that 
r  Prattsburg, 
hybernating 
lich  I  do  not 
icounts  of  the 
>ws  in  similar 

to  Burlington, 
for  neatness, 
f  we  had  yet 
.s  been  sensibly 
e  of  commerce, 
edly  much  ad- 
acipal  range  of 


Chap.  xxii. 


SCENERY    OF    LAKE    CHAMPLAIN. 


131 


mountains  in  the  State  of  New  York,  Mount  Marcy, 
the  highest,  attaining  an  elevation  of  upwards  of 
5400  feet.  It  is  still  (July  6th)  capped  with  snow, 
but  the  season  is  unusually  late.  From  the  survey 
of  this  part  of  New  York  by  Professor  Emmons,  it 
appears  that  hypersthene  rock  rises  up  in  the  central 
part  of  this  chain,  and  forms  the  nucleus,  around 
which  masses  of  gneiss,  crystalline  limestone,  and 
other  formations  are  disposed.  To  the  eastward 
were  the  Green  Mountains,  chiefly  composed  of 
chlorite  schist,  the  Camel's  Hump  and  the  slill 
loftier  Mount  Mansfield,  being  very  conspicuous. 

We  landed  at  Burlington,  finely  situated  on  the 
east  shore  of  the  lake ;  its  streets  adorned  with  avenues 
of  the  locust  tree  (Robinia  pseudo-acacia),  now 
covered  with  white  blossoms,  and  affording  an  agree- 
able shade.  After  examining  the  rocks  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  at  the  Falls  of  the  Winooski,  with 
Professor  Benedict,  I  crossed  the  Lake  to  Port  Kent, 
where,  after  seeing  the  boulder  formation  with  shells 
already  described,  I  went  to  Keeseville,  to  examine  a 
deep  cleft  in  the  sandstone,  through  which  the  Ausable 
river  flows  for  two  miles.  This  chasm  is  only  from 
forty  to  fifty  feet  in  width,  while  its  perpendicular 
walls  are  100  feet  high.  A  flight  of  wooden  stairs 
has  been  placed  so  as  to  enable  one  to  reach  the 
bottom,  and  the  geologist  may  observe,  as  he  descends, 
the  numerous  horizontal  strata  of  siliceous  sandstone. 
In  many  places,  this  most  ancient  of  the  fossiliferous 
rocks  of  New  York  (the  Potsdam  sandstone)  is 
divided  into  laminaa  by  the  remains  of  innumerable 
shells  of  the  genus  Lingula.  They  are  in  such  pro- 
fusion as  to  form  black  seams  like  mica,  for  which 


u 


m 


»  ! 


'    i- 


132 


OLDEST   KNOWN    FOSaiLS. 


Chap.  »«"• 


«    .  mistaken.*    With  the  Lingula 
they  were  at  ^"^^^^^^^^^^  ^hell,  alUed  to,  if  not 
occurs  another  «"«^^\P^^p7l33or  E.  Forbes,  with  a 
identical,  ^^^'''^'''^  .\^Z^^y  with  a  small  Lingula 
fossil  which  occurs  -  ««^^,  g.^rian  series  at 
in  the  lowest  beds  ^^  J^^  ^"|    ^^^^  ;,  perhaps  the 

Builth,  in  B'^f  ^";f  j"r;,ck  of  which  the  position 
most  ancient  foss>hferous  rock  o^^  ^^^.^^^  .^  .^ 

has  been  well  ^^^^,^1^  J  Us  commonest  or- 
highly  interesting  that jn  ^  ^^^^^  ^^.^. 

g,,ie  ----;t"^^^^  come  very  near  to 

^u/«),and  that    .^^/'''^i^,^     hout  so  vast  a  series  of 
species  now  existmg.    //^^  ^^j^^  ^.^e  model  in  the 

ages  has  Nature  ^^^  ^sUof  "n^^ 

01  ffanic  world '.    rsorart.         °         f„j  equally  to 

the  shape  of  the  npple  ^^Th   chasm,  where  two 
stone  laid  open  to  view  above  tne  ^.^^^ 

beautiful  waterMs  "■j^J^f^'^Xs  exhibit  their  usual 
The  ripple-Uke  "dges  "ind  torows  .^  ^^^ 

parallelism  and  -'"*'=^^"~  baekoverthelake 
been  made  yesterday.    On  my      y  ^^^^ 

to  BurlingtonJ  saw  o„« fr^^^^^^  ^ 

the  f-^-VryoUowt  cured,  loose  sand,  extend, 
ripple  m  the  If ''7';"7  „„a  paving  that  it  is  not 
W  over  hundreds  of  acres,  an    v         s  ^^^_. 

'::„ly  on  the  beach  >'0»--  t,  ^can  produce 
mark  that  the  ■""''^"f'^.f^clrtain  depth  below, 
thosesinuousriges  but  ^;o -;;.„,,  J       ^^, 

Some  of  the  '"^^'V  '       ,;„  jo  this  lake,  as,  for 
Champlain  are  of  specie   P--^"'^^"^  „f  ^^ich  were 

example,  ito«-''?'-'«^'"»'^P^'''"'7'     „,  „,„   Vo*. 

^  .a    Peoort    on    the    Geology    of    iNew 

•  See  Emmons's   Repon 

y.  218. 


LP.  xxn- 

Singula 
I,  if  not 
■with  a 
Lingula 
series  at 
laps  the 
position 
ica,  it  is 
jnest  or- 
nus  {Un- 
y  near  to 
a  series  of 
:,del  in  the 
rmity  con- 
equally  to 
g  of  sand- 
xvhere  two 
[sable  river. 
[  their  usual 
if  they  had 
3ver  the  lake 
3oat  through 

,re,  a  similar 
sand,  extend- 

that  it  is  not 
d  low  water 
can  produce 
,  depth  below, 
.abiting  l^ake 
is  lake,  as,  for 
,f  which  were 

of    New    York, 


Chap.  xxii. 


TRAVELLING    IN    THE    U.    8. 


133 


presented  to  me  by  Professor  Benedict.  Among  the 
flowers  and  plants  which  enlivened  the  borders  of  this 
lake  was  the  Virginia  raspberry,  with  its  large  red 
blossoms,  the  Kalmia  {K.  angustifolia),  a  beatitiful 
tiger  lily,  the  oderiferous  shrub  called  swee'i  fern 
{Comptonia  asplcBnifolia),  an  Hypericum,  and  a  blue 
Campanula. 

July  dth. — From  Burlington,  I  crossed  the  Green 
Mountains  of  Vermont,  composed  of  chlorite  schist, 
gneiss,  and  other  crystalline  rocks,  passing  by  Mont- 
pelier,  to  Hanover.  Here  we  paid  a  visit  to  Profes- 
sor Hubbard,  at  Darmouth  College,  and  then  return- 
ed through  New  Hampshire  by  Concord  to  Boston. 
Since  we  had  left  that  city  in  May,  we  had  travelled 
in  little  more  than  two  months  a  distance  of  2500 
miles  on  railways,  in  steamboats,  and  canoes,  in  pub- 
lic and  private  carriages,  without  any  accident,  and 
having  always  found  it  possible  so  to  plan  our  journey 
from  day  to  day,  as  to  avoid  all  fatigue  and  night 
travelling.  We  had  usually  slept  in  tolerable  inns, 
and  sometimes  in  excellent  hotels  in  small  towns,  and 
had  scarcely  ever  been  interrupted  by  bad  weather. 
I  infer,  from  the  dismay  occasionally  expressed  by 
Americans  when  we  pursued  our  journey,  in  spite 
of  rain,  that  the  climate  of  the  States  must  be  always 
as  we  found  it  this  year — wonderfully  more  propi- 
tious to  tourists  than  that  of  the  "  old  country," 
though  it  is  said  to  be  less  favourable  to  the  health 
and  complexion  of  Europeans. 

I  ventured  on  one  or  two  occasions  in  Canada, 
when  I  thought  that  the  inns  did  not  come  up  to  the 
reasonable  expectations  of  a  traveller,  to  praise  those 
of  the  United  States.     I  was  immediately  assured 

VOL.  n.  13 


i 

10 


i!'!;  ' 


-  f: 


h'l 


(I  ,;  i 


(    ■!: 


il:  ■  H  H 


i  uij^ 


184 


BOABDING-HOU8E0. 


ChaV.  XXII. 


that  if  in  their  country  men  preferred  to  dine  at 
ordinaries,  or  to  board  with  their  families  at  taverns, 
instead  of  cultivating  domestic  habits  like  the  English, 
nothing  would  be  more  easy  than  to  have  fine  hotels 
in  small  Canadian  towns.  This  led  me  to  inquire 
how  many  families,  out  of  more  than  fifty  whom  wc 
had  happened  to  visit  in  our  tour  of  eleven  months  in 
the  United  States,  resided  in  boarding-houses.  1 
found  that  there  was  not  one ;  and  that  all  of  them 
lived  in  houses  of  their  own.  Some  of  these  were  in 
the  northern  and  middle,  others  in  the  southern  and 
western  States;  some  in  affluent,  others  in  very 
moderate  circumstances :  they  comprised  many  mer- 
chants as  well  as  lawyers,  ministers  of  religion,  poli- 
tical, literary,  and  scientific  men. 

Families  who  are  travelling  in  the  U.  S.,  and 
strangers,  like  ourselves,  frequent  hotels  much  more 
than  in  England,  from  the  impossibility  of  hiring  lodg- 
ings. In  the  inns,  however,  good  private  apartments 
may  be  obtained  in  all  large  towns,  which,  though 
dear  for  the  United  States,  are  cheap  as  contrasted 
with  hotels  in  London.  It  is  doubtless  true  that  not 
only  bachelors,  but  many  young  married  couples, 
occasionally  escape  from  the  troubles  of  house-keep- 
ing in  the  United  States,  where  servants  are  difficult 
to  obtain,  by  retreating  to  boarding-houses  ;  but  the 
fact  of  our  never  having  met  with  one  instance  among 
our  own  acquaintances  inclines  me  to  suspect  the 
custom  to  be  far  less  general  than  many  foreigners 
suppose. 

It  was  now  the  fourth  time  we  had  entered  Boston, 
and  we  were  delighted  again  to  see  our  friends, 
some  of  whom  kindly  came  from  their  country  lesi- 


HA*.  XX"- 

dine  at 
taverns, 
English, 
ine  hotels 
o  inquire 
whom  we 
months  in 
nouses.    1 
U  of  ihcm 
se  were  in 
uthern  and 
•s  in  very 
many  mer- 
Ugion,  poli- 

U.  S.,  and 
much  more 
hiring  lodg- 
;  apartments 
tiich,  though 
contrasted 
true  that  not 
ried  couples, 
house-keep- 
are  difficult 
lises ;  but  the 
stance  among 
suspect  the 
any  foreigners 

:ntered  Boston, 
je  our  friends, 
ir  country  lesi- 


ChAP.  XXII. 


RETURN    TO    BOSTON. 


136 


,s 


dences  to  welcome  us.  Others  we  visited  at  Nahant, 
where  they  had  retreated  from  the  great  heat,  to 
enjoy  tiie  sea-breezes.  The  fire-flies  were  rejoicing 
in  the  warm  evenings.  Ice  was  as  usual  in  abun- 
dance ;  the  icemen  calling  as  regularly  at  every 
house  in  the  morning  as  the  milkman.  Pine-apples 
from  the  West  Indies  were  selling  in  the  streets  in 
wheelbarrows.  I  bought  one  of  good  size,  and  ripe, 
for  a  shilling,  which  would  have  cost  twelve  shillings 
or  more  in  London.  After  a  short  stay,  we  set  sail 
in  the  Caledonia  steam-packet  for  Halifax. 


:1«H- 


i    ■  i 


136 


GLACIAL   FURROWS. — HALIFAX.       ChAP.  XXlll. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Halifax.— Glacial  Furrows  in  JVova  Scotia.— Difference  of 
Climate  of  Halifax  and  Windsor.— Tracts  covered  with 
Kalmia. — Linneea  horealis. — High  Tides  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy.—  The  Bore. — liecent  Deposits  of  lied  Mud  hardened 
in  the  Sun. — Fossil  Showers  of  Rain. — Footprints  of  Birds, 
and  Casts  of  the  same. — Cracks  caused  by  Shrinkage. — 
Submerged  Forest. — Recent  Glacial  Furrows  at  Cape  Bio- 
tnidon. — Loaded  lee.— Ice-Ruts  in  Mud. 


July  10,  1842. — When  I  went  on  board  the 
Caledonia  at  Boston,  I  could  hardly  believe  that  it 
was  as  large  as  the  Acadia,  in  which  we  had  crossed 
the  Atlantic  from  Livei-pool,  so  familiar  had  I  now 
become  with  the  greater  dimensions  of  the  steamers 
which  navigate  the  Hudson  and  other  large  Ameri- 
can rivers. 

We  soon  reached  Halifax,  and  I  determined  to 
devote  a  month  to  the  geology  of  Nova  Scotia. 
About  three  miles  south  of  Halifax,  near  "  the 
Tower,"  I  saw  a  smooth  surface  of  rock,  formed  of 
the  edges  of  curved  and  highly  inclined  strata  of 
clay-slate.  This  surface  was  crossed  by  furrows 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep,  having  a  north  and 
south  direction,  and  preserving  their  parallelism 
throughout  a  space  100  yards  in  breadth.  Similar 
phenomena  are  observed  in  other  parts  of  this  pen- 
insula, on  the  removal  of  the  drift,  which  occurs  both 
stratified  and  unstratificd,  and  much  resembles  that 
of  Scotland.     I  may  mention  here,  that  afterwards 


Kr.  xxiii. 


Chap,  xxiii. 


NOVA    8CUTIA. — CLIMATE. 


137 


ferenee   of 
^tred   with 
e    Bay    of 
id  hardened 
ta  of  Birds, 
Shrinkage.— 
t  Cape  Bio- 


board    the 
eve  ^^oX  it 
tiad  crossed 
had  1  now 
he  steamers 
arge  Ameri- 

jtermined  to 
lova  Scotia, 
near    "the 
;k,  formed  of 
led  strata  of 
by  furrows 
a  north  and 
r   parallelism 
.dth.     Similar 
ts  of  this  pcn- 
•h  occurs  both 
resembles  that 
jat  afterwards 


near  Pictou  (at  Dixon's  quarry),  I  observed  polished 
a  surface  of  quartzose  grit  of  the  coal  ineasuirs, 
with  distinct  furrows  running  nearly  E.  and  W.  or 
E.  15°  N.,  magnetic ;  while  in  some  other  places  1 
saw  them  having  nearly  the  same  direction  as  at 
Halifax. 

Nova  Scotia  is  usually  known  to  strangers  by  its 
least  favourable  side, — its  foggy  southern  coast, 
which  has,  nevertheless,  the  merit  of  affording  somi; 
of  the  best  harbours  in  the  world.  We  left  Halifax 
for  Windsor  in  a  drizzling  rain  and  fog,  and  were 
told  that  we  should  probably  find  fair  weather  on  the 
other  side  of  the  hills.  Accordingly,  when  wo  had 
travelled  about  thirty  miles,  and  crossed  a  low  chain 
called  the  Ardoise  Hills,  we  found  the  sun  shining  on 
a  region  sloping  towards  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  where 
a  rich  vegetation  clothes  the  rocks  of  red  sandstone, 
marl,  and  limestone. 

Great  was  the  contrast  between  the  climate  and 

aspect  of  this  fertile  country,  and  the  cold  barren 

tracts  of  granite,  quartzite,  and  clay-slate  which  we 

had  passed  over  on  our  way  from  Halifax.     The 

sterility  of  that  quartziferous  district  had  not  been 

relieved  by  any  beautiful  features  in  the  scenery,  the 

plants  alone  affording  us  some  points  of  interest  and 

novelty,  especially  a  species  of  Kalmia  {K.  angusti- 

folia),  now  in  full  flower,  which  monopolised  the 

ground  in  some  wide  open  spaces,  as  heaths  take 

exclusive  possession  of  barren  tracts  in  Europe.     In 

the  woods  near  Windsor,  I  saw  several  kinds  of  Py- 

rola  and  other  flowers,  differing,  for  the  most  part, 

from  British  species,  but  among  them  the  LinntBU 

horealis  appeared  here  and  there,  matting  the  ground 

13* 


% 


It; 

i 


II  I 


I    I 


I 


;    :i 


( •' 


m' 


\\\ 


i  \ 
,.,  Ifi     ill 


i 


138 


UNNiGA    BOREALIS. 


Chap,  xiiii 


i'  ! 


with  its  green  leaves  under  the  shade  of  the  fir-trees, 
and  still  displaying  some  of  its  delicate  pink  flowers. 
I  had  gathered  it  some  years  before  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Norway,  north  of  Christiania,  and  have  since 
seen  it  growing  in  Scotland,  where  it  is  very  rare. 
Linnaeus,  when  this  small  and  elegant  plant  had  been 
named  after  him  by  a  friend,  accepted  it  as  his  em- 
blem, comparing  it  to  himself  when  struggling  with 
difficulties  ;  he  described  it  as  "  a  humble,  despised 
and  neglected  Lapland  plant,  flowering  at  an  early 
age."  Eventually,  the  last  only  of  thesfj  points  of 
resemblance  remained  true,  for  few  men  of  science 
have  risen  to  greater  honours  in  their  own  country 
than  he  did,  and  his  diary  has  laid  him  open  to  the 
charge  of  no  ordinary  share  of  vanity,  a  fault  which 
we  forget  in  our  admiration  of  his  original  genius, 
and  the  important  reforms  which  he  introduced  into 
the  study  of  every  branch  of  natural  history. 

More  than  half  of  the  southern  portion  of  the  pe- 
ninsula of  Nova  Scotia  consists  of  granitic  rocks, 
clay-slate,  quarlzite,  and  other  crystalline  formations 
without  fossils,  the  strata  having  an  east  and  west 
strike.  Granite  also  occurs,  intruding  itself  in  veins 
into  every  part  of  this  series.  Towards  their  north- 
ern limits,  the  slaty  formations  become  less  metamor- 
phic,  and  contain  fossils,  some  of  which  I  collected 
at  New  Canaan  near  Wolfville  in  King's  County,  and 
others  on  the  East  River  of  Pictou,  consisting  of 
Encrinites,  and  Trilobites,  and  shell  of  the  genera 
Orthoceras,  Spirifer,  Orthis,  and  Leptcsna.  Some 
few  of  them  agree  specifically  with  fossils  of  the 
Hamilton  group  or  uppermost  Silurian  division  of  the 
United  States,  No.  10  of  map,  PI.  IL 


AF.  XXI" 

fir-trees, 
flowers. 
e  moun- 
ive  since 
ery  rare, 
had  been 
s  his  em- 
rling  with 
,  despised 
L  an  early 
points  of 
of  science 
n  country 
)pen  to  the 
fault  which 
nal  genius, 
>duced  into 

ory. 

I  of  the  pe- 
nitic  rocks, 
!  formations 
3t  and  west 
self  in  veins 
their  north- 
ss  metamor- 
1  1  collected 
County,  and 
lonsisting  of 
the  genera 
mna.    Some 
'ossils  of  the 
livision  of  the 


Chap,  xxiii. 


RECENT   RED   MUD   WITH 


139 


After  crossing  the  Ardoise  Hills  above  mentioned, 
I  left  these  older  rocks,  and  entered  upon  strata  which 
constitute,  as  I  shall  show  in  the  sequel  (ch.  25),  a 
lower  carboniferous  formation,  containing  subordi- 
nate beds  of  gypsum  and  marihe  limestone.  These 
rocks  I  examined  on  the  banks  of  the  Avon,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Windsor,  and  in  the  clifls  at  Horton 
Bluff.  I  then  passed  by  Kentville  and  Cornwallis, 
skirting  the  western  shores  of  the  Basin  of  Mines. 
Into  this  basin,  or  inner  estuary,  the  tides  of  the  Bay 
of  Fundy  pour  twice  every  day  a  vast  body  of  water 
through  a  narrow  strait,  converting  every  small 
streamlet  into  the  appearance  of  a  large  tidal  river. 
The  tides  are  said  to  rise  in  some  places  seventy  feet 
perpendicular,  and  to  be  the  highest  in  the  world. 
They  often  come  up  at  first  with  a  lofty  wave  called 
the  Bore,  of  which  I  saw  a  fine  example  in  the 
largest  river  of  Nova  Scotia,  the  Shubenacadie, 
where  the  waters  seemed  to  be  rushing  down  a  much 
steeper  slope  than  the  St.  Lawrence  at  its  rupids. 
They  roared  too  as  loudly  over  their  rocky  bed,  but 
could  not  compete  in  beauty ;  for  instead  of  the 
transparent  green  waters  and  white  foam  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  they  resembled  a  current  of  red  mud  in 
violent  motion. 

The  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  become  charged 
with  this  red  sediment,  by  undermining  cliflTs  of  red 
sandstone  and  soft  red  marl ;  and  in  places  where 
they  overflow  the  alluvial  plains,  they  throw  down 
red  mud  wherever  the  velocity  of  the  current  is  sus- 
pended at  the  turn  of  the  tide.  Many  extensive  and 
level  flats  of  rich  land  have  been  tlius  formed  natu- 
rally, and  many  thousand  acres  of  the  same  have 


li|i#' 


'    i| 


H 


nl 

I 

1 

if. 

1 

m  ■ 

1 

,;       1 
1 

'■     i 

■J,: 


140 


IMPRESSIONS    OP   RAIN-DROPS. 


Chap,  xxiii 


been  excluded  artificially  from  the  sea  by  embank- 
ments. When  I  arrived  in  this  region  it  was  the 
period  of  the  lowest  or  neap  tides,  so  that  large  areas, 
where  the  red  mud  had  been  deposited,  were  laid 
dry,  and  in  some  spots  had  been  baking  in  a  hot  sun 
for  ten  days.  The  upper  part  of  the  mud  had  thus 
become  hard  for  a  depth  of  several  inches,  and  in 
its  consolidated  form  exactly  resembled,  both  in 
colour  and  appearance,  some  of  the  red  marls  of  the 
New  Red  sandstone  formation  of  Europe.  The 
upper  surface  was  usually  smooth,  but  in  some  places 
I  saw  it  pitted  over  with  small  cavities,  which  I  was 
told  were  due  to  a  shower  of  rain  which  fell  eight  or 
ten  days  before,  when  the  deposit  was  still  soft.  It 
perfectly  recalled  to  my  mind  those  "  fossil  showers" 
of  which  the  markings  are  preserved  in  some  an- 
cient rocks,  and  the  origin  of  which  was  first  cor- 
rectly explained  to  an  incredulous  public  by  Dr. 
Buckland  in  1838.  I  have  already  alluded  to  such 
impressions  of  rain-drops  when  speaking  of  the 
ripple-marked  flags  of  the  New  Red  sand-stone  at 
Newark  in  New  Jersey.  I  saw  several  other  exam- 
ples, during  my  tour,  of  similar  phenomena,  particu- 
larly in  a  bright  red  deposit  of  mud  thrown  down  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Patapsco  at  Baltimore,  of  which  I 
was  able  to  bring  away  some  consolidated  layers. 
On  these,  in  addition  to  the  smaller  cavities  due  to 
rain,  there  are  larger  ones,  more  perfectly  circular, 
about  the  size  of  hrge  currants,  which  have  been 
formed  by  air-bubbles  in  the  mud. 

On  the  surface  of  the  dried  beds  of  red  mud  at 
Wolfville  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy  before  mentioned,  I 
observed  many  worm-like  tracks,  made  by  Annelides 


;hap.  XXIIl 

J  embank- 
L  was  the 
irge  areas, 
were  laid 
1  a  hot  sun 
I  had  thus 
les,  and  in 
d,  both  in 
larls  of  the 
:ope.     The 
some  places 
vhich  I  was 
fell  eight  or 
still  soft.    It 
jsil  showers" 
in  some  an- 
as first  cor- 
iblic  by  Dr. 
uded  to  such 
king   of   the 
sand-stone  at 

other  cxam- 
lena,  particu- 
:own  down  at 
re,  of  which  1 

dated  layers, 
cavities  due  to 
ectly  circular, 
ch  have  been 

3f  red  mud  at 
mentioned,  I 
le  bv  Annelides 


Chap.  XXIII.      RECENT    FOOTSTEPS   OP   BIRDS. 


141 


which  burrow  in  the  mud ;  and,  what  was  still  more 
interesting  to  me,  the  distinct  footmarks  of  birds  in 
regular  sequence,  faithfully  representing  in  their  gen- 
eral appearance  the  smaller  class  of  Ornithicnites  of 
high  antiquity  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  before 
described.     (Vol.  I.,  p.  252). 

I  learnt  from  Dr.  Harding  of  Kentville,  and  Mr. 
Pryor  of  Horton,  who  were  my  guides,  that  these 
recent  footprints  were  those  of  the  sandpiper  (Tringa 
minuta),  a  species  common  to  Europe  and  North 
America,  flights  of  which  I  sa^w  daily  running  along 
the  water's  edge,  and  often  leaving  thirty  or  more 
similar  impressions  in  a  straight  line,  parallel  to  the 
borders  of  the  estuary.  The  red  mud  had  cracked 
in  hardening  in  the  sun's  heat,  and  was  divided  into 
compartments,  as  we  see  clay  at  the  bottom  of  a 
dried  pond,  and  I  was  able  to  bring  away  some 
pieces  to  England.  One  c**  these  I  have  figured  in 
the  annexed  plate  (VII.).  In  fig.  1  we  see  the  upper 
surface  of  the  slab,  on  the  left  side  of  which  are  six 
perfect  foot-marks  in  the  same  line,  with  part  of  a 
seventh,  and  another,  a,  probably  belonging  to  a  dis- 
tinct line.  A  small  ball  or  protuberance  will  be  seen 
near  the  base  of  the  middle  toe,  as  at  a,  6,  or  some- 
times about  the  middle  of  the  impression  of  the  mid- 
dle toe,  as  at  c.  This  is  caused  by  the  mud  which 
is  displaced  by  the  prominent  metatarsus  or  instep 
bone,  which  has  thrust  forward  a  small  mound  of 
earth,  in  consequence  of  the  slanting  position  of  the 
leg  as  the  bird  advances.  On  splitting  the  slab,  and 
reducing  it  to  the  thickness  expressed  in  the  transverse 
section,  j%.  3, 1  was  fortunate  enough  to  lay  open  an 
under  surface,  on  which  two  other  lines  of  foot-prints 


■i 


\    '■■  )| 


142 


RECENT   FOOTSTEPS   OF   BIRDS.        ChaP.  XXIU 


f  ■ '    .       ■  * 


|;S? 


i      /: 


appeared  in  relief,  fig.  2.  Tiiese  are  the  casts  of 
impressions  which  had  been  made  on  an  inferior 
layer,  deposited  several  tides  before  ;  and  I  ascer- 
tained that  on  the  upper  and  under  surfaces  of  seve- 
ral other  thin  laminae,  shown  in  the  cross  section  No. 
3,  there  exist  similar  foot-marks,  each  set  made  by 
birds  at  different  times.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  toes 
which  are  indented  in  No.  1,  are  represented  by  pro- 
tuberances in  No.  2,  and  that  at  d  the  mark  of  a 
single  toe  occurs  in  relief,  and  quite  isolated.  This 
occurrence  was  not  unfrequent,  and  Mr.  Waterhouse 
has  suggested  to  me  in  explanation  that  these  waders, 
as  they  fly  near  the  ground,  often  let  one  leg  hang 
down,  so  that  the  longest  toe  touches  the  surface  of 
the  mud  occasionally,  leaving  a  single  mark  of  this 
kind.  The  slabs  here  figured  have  been  presented 
by  me  to  the  British  Museum,  in  order  that  those  na- 
turalists who  are  still  very  sceptical  as  to  the  real 
origin  of  the  ancient  fossil  ornithicnites,  of  which 
there  are  some  fine  examples  in  our  national  reposi- 
tory, may  compart  the  fossil  products  of  the  month 
of  July,  1842,  with  those  referable  to  feathered 
bipeds  which  preceded  the  era  of  the  Icthyosaurus, 
Iguanodon,  and  Pterodactyl. .     . 

On  several  wide  areas,  comprising  many  hundreds 
of  acres  each,  I  saw  the  surface  of  the  red  mud  fis- 
sured in  all  directions  by  the  shrinkage  accompany- 
ing desiccation,  and  I  was  surprised  to  find  some  of 
the  cracks  several  inches  wide,  and  no  less  than  two 
or  three  feet  deep.  Occasionally,  a  fresh  tide  had 
deposited  sediment  in  the  older  cracks,  filling  them 
up,  and  this  mud  having  in  its  turn  become  hardened, 
together  with  a  new  contemporaneous  superficial 


Ids.       Chap,  zxiu 


V^iht 


I  .  I 


I (f  •  >, 


re  the  casts  of 
on  an  inferior 
e  ;  and  I  ascer- 
surfaces  of  seve- 
Icross  section  No. 
ch  set  made  by 
een  that  the  toes 
resented  by  pro- 
fit the  mark  of  a 
e  isolated.     This 
Mr.  Waterhouse 
that  these  waders, 
let  one  leg  hang 
es  the  surface  of 
ngle  mark  of  this 
^e  been  presented 
rder  that  those  na- 
al  as  to  the  real 
licnites,  of  which 
ur  national  reposi- 
lucts  of  the  month 
ible    to    feathered 
'  the  Icthyosaurus, 

ng  many  hundreds 
•f  the  red  mud  fis- 
ikage  accompany- 
ed  to  find  some  of 
d  no  less  than  two 
,  a  fresh  tide  had 
'acks,  filling  them 
become  hardened, 
aneous  superficial 


m 


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Chap.  xxin.      cliffs  of  cape  blomidun. 


143 


layer,  I  found,  on  taking  up  the  slab,  the  casts  of  the 
old  fissures  standing  out  in  relief,  as  we  occasionally 
see  them  on  the  under  surfaces  of  flags  of  sandstone, 
which  rest  on  layers  of  clay  or  shale. 

Before  quitting  the  subject,  I  may  state  that  hard 
nodules  of  a  red  clay-ironstone  are  occasionally  met 
with  in  the  red  mud,  some  of  which  I  was  shown  as 
having  been  found  near  Minudie  at  low  water.  The 
nucleus  of  the  concretion  often  consisted  of  recent 
littoral  shells,  Mya  arenaria  and  Tellina  grcenlandica. 
I  was  also  informed  that  there  was  a  submerged 
forest  buried  in  this  red  mud,  and  exposed  to  view 
in  the  Cumberland  Basin  at  low  tide,  not  far  from 
Fort  Cumberland.  I  regret  that  I  had  no  time  to 
examine  this  forest  of  upright  trees,  as  the  accounts 
I  received  of  it  appeared  to  imply  that  there  must 
have  been  some  subsidence  of  land  in  modern  times. 
In  estimating  the  changes  in  progress  in  nature's  labo- 
ratory beneath  the  sea,  we  must  not  forget  that  by 
far  the  greater  part  of  the  red  sediment  of  the  Bay  of 
Fundy  is  carried  out  by  a  strong  current  into  the 
depths  of  the  Atlantic. 

July  24. — Continuing  my  course  along  the  western 
borders  of  the  Basin  of  Mines,  I  at  length  reached 
Cape  Blomidon,  where  cliffs  of  soft  red  sandstone,  in 
nearly  horizontal  beds,  are  capped  by  a  mass  of 
basalt,  greenstone,  and  amygdaloid.  This  mass  of 
Igneous  rock,  after  presenting  fine  ranges  of  rude 
columns  in  the  bold  precipices  facing  northwards,  is 
continuous,  in  a  narrow  strip  of  hfgh  land,  for  no  less 
than  130  miles  east  and  west,  extending  as  far  as  An- 
napolis, and  beyond  it  to  Briar  Island.  Its  structure 
and  characteristic  minerals  have  been  well  described 


11 


;     I: 


ir- 


'  Fl 


1 


I. 


;     1 

■      i      9 

fi 


i 


144 


RECENT   GLACIAL   FURROWS         Chap,  xxiii. 


by  Messrs.  Jackson  and  Alger,  in  their  elaborate  pa- 
per, read  in  the  year  1831,  to  the  American  Aca- 
demy.* Although  this  trap  is  generally  parallel  to 
the  suhjacent  red  sandstone,  it  appears  in  reality  to 
form  a  great  dyke  rather  than  a  contemporaneous 
bed. 

As  I  was  strolling  along  the  beach  at  the  base  of 
these  basaltic  cliffs,  collecting  minerals,  and  occa- 
sionally recent  shells  at  low  tide,  I  stopped  short  at 
the  sight  of  an  unexpected  phenomenon.  The  soli- 
tary inhabitant  of  a  desert  island  could  scarcely  have 
been  more  startled  by  a  human  foot-print  in  the  sand, 
than  I  was  on  beholding  some  recent  furrows  on  a 
ledge  of  sandstone  under  my  feet,  the  exact  counter- 
part of  those  grooves  of  ancient  date  which  I  have  so 
often  described  in  this  work,  and  attributed  to  glacial 
action.  After  having  searched  in  vain  at  Quebec 
(see  p.  120)  for  such  indications  of  a  modern  date,  I 
had  despaired  of  witnessing  any  in  this  part  of  the 
world.  I  was  now  satisfied  that,  whatever  might  be 
their  origin,  those  before  me  were  quite  recent. 

The  inferior  beds  of  soft  sandstone,  a,  a,  fig.  16, 
which  are  exposed  at  low  water  at  the  base  of  the 
clifT  at  Cape  Blomidon,  form  a  broad  ledge  of  bare 
rock,  to  the  surface  of  which  no  sea-weed  or  barna- 
cles can  attach  themselves,  as  the  stone  is  always 
wearing  away  slowly  by  the  continual  passage  of 
sand  and  gravel,  washed  oyer  it  from  the  talus  of 
fallen  fragments,  d,  which  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  clifT 
on  the  beach  above.     The  slow  but  constant  under- 

*  On  the  Mineralogy  and  Geology  of  Nova  Scotia.  Mem.  of 
Amer.  Acad,  of  Arts  and  Sci.,  vol.  i.,  New  Series,  1S33.  Cam- 
bridge, Mass. 


Chap.  xxi". 

;labovate  pa- 
lerican  Aca- 
ly  parallel  to 
,  in  reality  to 
emporaneous 

it  the  base  of 
Is,  and  occa- 
>ppod  short  at 
5n.     The  soU- 
scarcely  have 
int  in  the  sand, 
L  furrows  on  a 
exact  counter- 
which  I  have  so 
buted  to  glacial 
ain  at  Quebec 
modern  date,  1 
rhis  part  of  the 
Ltever  might  be 
|ite  recent, 
[le,  a,  a,  fig-  !«» 
the  base  of  the 
id  ledge  of  bare 
[weed  or  barna- 
Lone  is  always 
lual  passage  of 
[om  the  talus  of 
J  foot  of  the  cliff 
Iconstant  under- 

Scotia.     Mem.  of 
Series.  1833.    Cam- 


CkAP.  XXIII. 


AT    CAPE    DLOMIDON. 

Fig.  10. 


145 


Section  of  the  Cliff  and  Beach  at  Cape  Btomidon, 

a,  a.  Ledgea  ofiofk  mindatono  expoiod  nt  low  wuter. 

b.  Red  marls  with  light  greenish  streaksi,  and  layers  of  flbrous  gypsum. 
e.  Cupping  of  trap. 

d.  TaluH  of  blocks  and  pebbles  of  trap,  amygdaloid,  greenstone,  k.e. 

miningof  the  perpendicular  cliff  forming  this  promon- 
tory, round  which  the  powerful  currents  caused  by 
the  tide  sweep  backwards  and  forwards  with  prodi- 
gious velocity,  must  satisfy  every  geologist  that  the 
denudation  by  which  the  ledge  in  question  has  been 
exposed  to  view  is  of  modern  date.  Whether  the 
rocks  forming  the  cliff  extended  so  far  as  the  points 
a,  10,  50,  or  100  years  ago,  I  have  no  means  of  esti- 
mating ;  but  the  exact  date  and  rate  of  destruction 

Fig.  17 


Beeent  furrovt  on  ledge  of  sandstone  at  Cape  Blomidon, 

are  immaterial.  On  this  recently  formed  ledge,  I  saw 
several  straight  furrows  half  an  inch  broad,  some  of 
them  very  nearly  parallel,  as  a,  b.  Jig.  17,  others  di- 
verging, as  c,  the  direction  of  a,  b,  being  N.  35°  E., 

VOL.  II.  14 


I 


V'! 


>i,i 


^'  t  i  fl 


ti 


■I  ■ 


i: 


1 1 


i  ! 


i  Hi! 


l!' 


in.  |„i 


140 


RECENT   GLACIAL    FURROW0.        Ch4P.  XZIII. 


or  corresponding  to  that  of  the  shore  at  this  point. 
After  walking  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  I  found  ano- 
ther set  of  similar  furrows,  having  the  same  general 
direction  within  five  degrees  ;  and  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  if  these  grooves  could  not  bo  referred  to 
the  modern  instrumentality  of  ice,  it  would  throw  no 
small  doubt  on  the  glacial  hypothesis.  When  I  asked 
my  guide,  a  peasant  of  the  neighbourhood,  whether 
he  had  ever  seen  much  ice  on  the  spot  where  wo 
stood,  the  heat  was  so  excessive  (for  we  were  in  the 
latitude  of  the  south  of  France,  45°  N.)  that  I  seemed 
to  be  putting  a  strange  question.  He  replied  that  in 
the  preceding  winter  of  1841  he  had  seen  the  ice,  in 
spite  of  the  tide,  which  ran  at  the  rate  of  10  miles  an 
hour,  extending  in  one  uninterrupted  mass  from  the 
shore  where  we  stood  to  the  opposite  coast  at  Parrs- 
borough,  and  that  the  icy  blocks,  heaped  on  each 
other,  and  frozen  together  or  "  packed,"  at  the  foot 
of  Cape  Blomidon,  were  often  fifteen  feet  thick,  and 
were  pushed  along  when  the  tide  rose,  over  the  sand- 
stone ledges.  He  also  stated  that  fragments  of  the 
"  black  stone"  which  fell  from  the  summit  of  the  cliff, 
a  pile  of  which,  d,  fig.  16,  lay  at  its  base,  were  often 
frozen  into  the  ice,  and  moved  along  with  it.  I  then 
examined  these  fallen  blocks  of  amygdaloid  scattered 
round  me,  and  observed  in  them  numerous  geodes 
coated  with  quartz  crystals.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
the  hardness  of  these  gravers,  firmly  fixed  in  masses 
of  ice,  which,  although  only  fifteen  feet  thick,  are 
often  of  considerable  horizontal  extent,  have  furnished 
sufficient  pressure  and  mechanical  power  to  groove 
the  ledge  of  soft  sandstone. 

In   Nova   Scotia  the  term  "  loaded  ice "  is  in 


at  this  point. 
^  1  found  ano- 
samc  general 
made  up  my 
be  referred  to 
rould  throw  no 
When  I  asked 

rhood.  whether 
spot  where  wo 
we  were  in  the 
[.)  that  1  seemed 
[e  replied  that  in 
i  seen  the  ice,  m 
ae  of  10  miles  an 
ed  mass  from  the 
ite  coast  at  Parrs- 

heaped  on  each 
,cked,"  at  the  foot 
.en  feet  thick,  and 

,se,over  the  sand- 

fragments  of  the 
pummit  of  the  cliff, 
Is  base,  were  often 
L  with  it.    Ithen 
ivgdaloid  scattered 

f  numerous  geodes 
,avc  no  doubt  that 
,ly  fixed  in  masses 
.en  feet  thick,  arc 
lent,  have  furnished 

a  power  to  groove 
loaded  ice"  is  i« 


ChAV.  XXIII.         LOADED    ICK,    NOVA    SC'DTIA. 


147 


I  I 


common  use  for  largo  sheets  of  ice  several  acres  in 
area,  which  are  sometimes  floated  ofl*  from  the  rivers 
ns  the  tide  rises,  with  sedge  and  other  salt-marsh 
plants  frozen  into  their  lower  surfaces  ;  also  with 
mud  adhering  plentifully  to  their  roots.  In  our 
speculations,  therefore,  on  the  carrying  power  of 
ice,  we  ought  always  to  remember  that,  besides  gravel 
and  large  fragments  of  rock,  it  transports  with  it  the 
finest  mud. 

Dr.  Harding  informed  mc  that  the  surface  of  mud- 
banks  along  the  estuaries  near  Wolfville,  arc  often 
furrowed  with  long,  straight,  and  parallel  ruts,  as  if 
large  waggons  had  passed  over  them.  These 
conform  in  their  general  direction  to  the  shore,  and 
are  produced  by  the  projecting  edges  of  irregular 
masses  of  packed  ice,  borne  along  by  the  tidal 
current. 


ii   .  , 


]  ; 


I 


il^i 


m 
'•'ill' 


i,     i 


M 


I 


8,1 


i 


iij 


4 


148 


COAL    FORMATION 


Chap.  xxiv. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Coal  Formation  of  JS'ova  Scotia. — Productive  Coal  Measures. — 
Erect  Fossil  Trees  in  the  Cliffs  of  the  Bay  of  Fundi/.— Sec- 
tion from  Minudie  to  the  South  Joggins. — Ten  buried  Forests, 
one  above  the  other. — Connection  of  upright  Trees  with  Seams 
of  Coal. — Stigmaria. — Sigillaria. — Evidence  of  Repented 
Submergence  of  dry  Land. —  Theory  to  explain  the  Evenness 
of  the  Ancient  Surface.— Pictou  Coal-field.— Bed  of  Erect 
Calamites,  compared  to  those  of  St.  Etienne,  in  France. — List 
of  Species  of  JVova  Scotia  Coal-plants. — Four-fifths  of  these 
Fossils  identified  with  European  Species. — Carboniferous 
Flora  of  the  United  States. 

Above  the  granite,  clay-slate,  quartzite,  and  Silurian 
formations  of  Nova  Scotia,  there  occur,  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  peninsula,  as  stated  in  the  last 
chapter,  strata  referable  to  the  carboniferous  group, 
occupying  very  extensive  tracts,  and  resting  uncon- 
formably  on  the  rocks  of  the  older  series.  They  may 
be  divided  into  three  formations;  the  middle  one, 
comprising  the  productive  coal-measures,  agreeing 
precisely  with  those  of  Europe  in  their  lithological 
characters  and  organic  remains ;  an  upper  one,  com- 
posed of  sandstone  and  shale  with  fossil  plants,  but 
without  coal ;  and  a  lower  carboniferous  group, 
chiefly  made  up  of  red  sandstone  and  red  marl,  with 
subordinate  beds  of  gypsum  and  marine  limestone. 
In  this  lower  series  there  are  also  occasionally  some 
beds  of  shale  with  plants,  and  some  coal-grits,  and 
thin  seams  of  impure  coal. 
A  variety  of  opinions  have  been  entertained  re- 


Chap.  M'^- 


':;oal  Measures.— 
of  Fundy.^^'"'^' 
'en  buried  Forests, 
Trees  with  Seams 
nee    of   Repeated 
,lain  the  Evenness 
d.^Bed  of   Erect 
e,in  France.— L^»t 
Four-fifths  of  these 
ies  ^Carboniferous 


ite,  and  Silurian 
cur.  in  the  north- 
vted    in  the  last 
koniferous  group, 
d  resting  uncon- 
ries.    They  may 
the  middle  one, 
sasures,  agreeing 
their  lithological 
upper  one,  com- 
fossil  plants,  but 
,oniferous  group, 
nd  red  marl,  with 
marine  limestone. 
,ccasionally  some 

,e  coal-grits,  and 


sn 


entertained  re- 


ChAP.  XXIV. 


OP    NOVA    SCOTIA. 


149 


specting  the  true  age  and  position  of  the  last-men- 
tioned  or  gypsiferous  formation,  which  has  been 
generally  presumed  to  be  newer  than  the  coal, — by 
some  referred  to  the  New  Red  sandstone,  and  even 
thought  to  overlie  the  coal-measures  unconformably. 
Immediately  after  my  return  to  England,  I  commu- 
nicated to  the  Geological  Society  my  opinion;  1st, 
that  the  gypsiferous  formation,  with  its  accompany- 
ing fossiliferous  limestones,  is  a  true  member  of  the 
Carboniferous  group  ;  2dly,  thnt  its  position  is  below 
the  productive  coal  measurer  * 

I  shall  now  give  some  acccvnt  of  these  middle  or 
productive  coal  measures,  which  contain  valuable 
seams  of  bituminous  coal,  at  va  rious  places,  especially 
near  Pictou.  I  was  particularly  desirous,  before  I 
left  England,  of  examining  the  numerous  fossil  trees 
alluded  to  by  Dr.  Gesner  as  imbedded  in  an  upright 
posture  at  many  different  levels  in  the  cliffs  of  the 
South  Joggins,  near  Minudie.  The  cliffs  belong 
to  the  Cumberland  coal-field,  on  the  southern  shores 
of  a  branch  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  called  the  Chig- 
necto  Channel,  which  divides  part  of  New  Brunswick 
from  Nova  Scotia.  The  first  allusion  to  the  trees 
which  I  have  met  with,  is  that  published  in  1829  by 
Mr.  Richard  Brown,  in  Halyburton's  Nova  Scotia, 
and  he  attributed  their  fossilisation  to  the  inundation 
of  the  ground  on  which  the  forests  stood.  I  felt  con- 
vinced that,  if  I  could  verify  the  accounts  of  which  I 
had  read,  of  the  superposition  of  so  many  different 
tiers  of  trees,  each  representing  forests  which  grew  in 
succession  on  the  same  area,  one  above  the  other ; 


•See  Proceedings  of  Geol.  Soc,  vol.  iv.,  p.  184.     1843. 

14# 


I 


ililflp 


I     ; 


'      .       I 


,     1 


,  M 


flf  ■* 


ii!    i 


m 


1 


150 


ERECT    FOSSIL   TREES. 


Chap,  xxiv 


and  if  I  could  prove  at  the  same  time  their  con- 
nexion with  seams  of  coal,  it  would  go  farther  than 
any  facts  yet  recorded  to  confirm  the  theory  that 
coal  in  general  is  derived  from  vegetables  produced 
on  the  spots  where  the  carbonaceous  matter  is  now 
stored  up  in  the  earth. 

At  Wolfville  1  hired  a  schooner,  which  soon  car- 
ried us  across  the  Basin  of  Mines  to  Parrsborough. 
We  had  a  side  wind,  and  the  deck  was  inclined  at 
about  an  angle  of  45°,  in  spite  of  which  we  admired 
a  splendid  view  of  the  coast,  and  the  range  of  basaltic 
rocks  which  extend  from  Cape  Blomidon  to  Cape 
Split.  At  Parrsborough  I  was  joined  by  Dr.  Gcsner, 
who  had  come  expressly  from  New  Brunswick  to 
meet  me ;  and  we  went  together  to  Minudie,  a 
thriving  village,  where  we  were  hospitably  received 
by  the  chief  proprietor  and  owner  of  the  land,  and  of 
many  of  those  fertile  flats  of  red  mud  before  described, 
which  he  has  redeemed  from  the  sea. 

From  Minudie,  a  range  (  f  perpendicular  cliffs  ex- 
tends in  a  south- westerly  direction  along  the  southern 
shore  of  what  is  commonly  called  the  Chignecto 
Channel.  The  general  dip  of  the  beds  is  southerly, 
and  the  lowest  strata  near  Minudie  consist  of  beds  of 
red  sandstone,  with  some  limestone  and  gypsum,  a,  b, 
fig.  18.  The  section  is  then  very  obscure  for  about 
three  miles,  or  from  b  to  c,  the  rocks  consisting 
chiefly  of  red  sandstone  and  red  marl,  after  which,  at 
c,  blue  grits  are  seen,  inclined  to  the  S.S.W.  at  an 
angle  of  27°,  affording  an  excellent  grindstone,  and 
attaining  a  thickness  of  forty-four  feet.  These  beds 
are  succeeded  to  the  south  by  a  vast  series  of  newer 
and  conformable  strata,  all  dipping  the  same  way, 


Cbaf.  xwv 

J  their  con- 
farlher  than 
theory  that 
les  produced 
latter  is  now 

lich  soon  cav- 

Parrsborough. 

as  inclined  at 

zh  we  admired 

^nge  of  basaltic 

midon  to  Cape 

by  Dr.  Gesncr, 
Brunswick  to 
to   Minudie,  a 

pitably  received 
the  land,  and  of 

,efore  described, 

icular  cliffs  ex- 
long  the  southern 
the  Chignecto 
,eds  is  southerly, 
consist  of  beds  of 

and  gypsnni,  a,  h, 
[bscure  for  a^out 
Irocks  consisting 
,1,  after  which,  at 
ic  S.S.W.  at  an 
grindstone,  and 
!et.     These  beds 
It  series  of  newer 
the  same  way, 


Chap.  xxiv.     %     erect  fossil  trees. 


151 


CO 


;^ 


^ 


00 


x> 


m 


o 


.IB-' 


iL[,t.| 


h  .1. 

!  1,  . 


■1. 


I 


l»l 


!.    U 


"T' 


11 


>^  1 


il; 


152 


ERECT    FOSSIL   TREES.        *      Chap.  XXIT. 


and,  for  the  first  three  miles  which  I  examined,  in- 
clined nearly  at  the  same  angle,  upon  an  average 
about  24°  S.S.W.  Within  this  space,  or  between  d 
and  g,  all  the  upright  trees  hitherto  found  occur ; 
but  the  same  set  of  strata  is  still  continuous,  with  a 
gradually  lessening  dip,  many  miles  farther  to  the 
south. 

If  we  assign  a  thickness  of  four  or  five  miles  to 
this  regular  succession  of  carboniferous  strata,  which, 
as  I  shall  afterwards  show,  must  have  been  originally 
quite  horizontal,  our  estimate  will  probably  be  rather 
under  than  over  the  mark.  For  the  first  mile  south 
of  the  grindstones,  or  from  c  to  c?,  I  observed  no  coal 
in  the  cliffs,  after  which  the  first  of  the  upright  trees 
appears  at  tZ,  at  the  distance  of  about  six  miles  from 
Minudie.  Then  followed  a  series  of  coal-bearing 
strata,  consisting  of  white  freestone,  bituminous  shale, 
micaceous  sandstone,  sandy  clays,  blue  shale,  and 
clays  with  and  without  nodules  of  ironstone,  all  re- 
sembling the  carboniferous  rocks  of  Europe.  They 
jccupy  a  range  of  coast  about  two  miles  long,  the 
vertical  height  of  the  cliffs  being  from  150  to  200 
feet ;  and  about  nineteen  seams  of  coal  have  been 
met  with,  which  vary  in  thickness  from  two  inches 
to  four  feet.  At  low  tide,  we  had  not  only  the  ad- 
vantage of  beholding  a  fine  exposure  of  the  edges  of 
these  beds  in  the  vertical  precipices,  but  also  a  hori- 
zontal section  of  the  same  on  the  beach  at  our  feet. 

The  beds  through  which  erect  trees,  or  rather  tlie 
trunks  of  trees,  placed  at  right  angles  to  the  planes 
of  stratification,  are  traceable,  have  a  thickness  of 
about  2500  feet ;  and  no  deception  can  arise  from 
the  repetition  of  the  same  beds  owing  to  shifts  or 


f     Chap.  xxiv. 

examined,  in- 
n  an  average 
or  between  d 
found  occur; 
inuous,  with  a 
farther  to  the 

:  five  miles  to 
s  strata,  which, 
been  originally 
bably  be  rather 
first  mile  south 
bservcd  no  coal 
lie  upright  trees 
It  six  miles  from 
of  coal-bearing 
bituminous  shale, 
blue   shale,  and 
[ironstone,  all  re- 
Europe.     They 
miles  long,  the 
[rom  150  to  200 
coal  have  been 
•om  two  inches 
lot  only  the  ad- 
of  the  edges  of 
I,  but  also  a  hori- 
Lch  at  our  feet. 
■es,  or  rather  the 
[les  to  the  planes 
[e  a  thickness  of 
can  arise  from 
ing  to  shifts  or 


Chap.  xxiv. 


ERECT    FOSSIL   TREES. 


153 


faults,  the  section  being  unbroken,  and  the  rocks, 
with  the  exception  of  their  dip,  being  quite  undis- 
turbed. The  first  of  the  upright  trees  which  I  saw, 
in  the  strata  d,  fig.  18,  is  represented  in  the  enlarged 
section,  fig.  19.  No  part  of  the  original  plant  is  pre- 
served except  the  bark,  which  forms  a  tube  of  pure 
bituminous  coal,  filled  with  sand,  clay,  and  other  de- 
posits, now  forming  a  solid  internal  cylinder  without 
traces  of  organic  structure.  The  bark  is  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick,  marked  externally  with  irregular 
longitudinal  ridges  and  furrows,  without  leaf-scars, 
and  therefore  not  resembling  the  regular  flutings  of 
Sigillariae,  but  agreeing  exactly  with  the  description 
of  those  vertical  trees  which  are  found  at  Dixonfold, 
on  the  Bolton  railway,  of  which  Messrs.  Hawkshaw 
and  Bowman  have  given  an  excellent  account  in  the 
Proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society.*  On  com- 
paring Mr.  Hawkshaw's  drawings  of  the  British 
fossils,  in  the  library  of  the  Geological  Society,  as 
well  as  a  specimen  of  one  of  the  Dixonfold  trees  pre- 
sented by  him  to  their  museum,  with  portions  of  the 
bark  brought  by  me  from  Nova  Scotia,  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  declaring  them  to  be  identical. 

The  diameter  of  the  tree,  a.  b,  fig.  19,  was  fourteen 
inches  at  the  top  and  sixteen  inches  at  the  bottom, 
its  height  five  feet  eight  inches.  The  strata  in  the 
mterior  of  the  tree  consisted  of  a  series  entirely 
different  from  those  on  the  outside.  The  lowest  of 
the  three  outer  beds  which  it  traversed  consisted  of 
purplish  and  blue  shale,  c,  fig.  19,  two  feet  thick, 
above  which  was  sandstone,  d,  one  foot  thick,  and 

*  London,  1839—40;  vol.  iii.,  pp.  139,  270. 


i.^'l 


'I 

.1 


I   I 


'J  ■ 


I! 


154 


UraiGIIT   TREES,    S.    J0GGIN8.         ChAP.  XXlV. 


above  this  clay,  e,  two  feet  eight  inches.  In  the 
interior,  on  the  other  hand,  were  nine  distinct  layers 
of  different  composition :  at  the  bottom,  shale  four 
inches ;  then,  in  the  ascending  series,  sandstone  one 
foot,  shale  four  inches,  sandstone  four  inches,  shale 
eleven  inches,  clay  with  nodules  of  ironstone,  /, 
two  inches,  pure  clay  two  feet,  sandstone  three 
inches,  and,  lastly,  clay  four  inches. 

Mr.  Bowman  has  explained  in  the  Manchester 
Transactions  the  causes  of  the  frequent  want  of  cor- 
respondence in  the  strata  enclosing  a  buried  tree, 
and  the  layers  of  mud  and  sand  accumulated  in  the 
interior,  which  vary  according  to  the  more  or  less 
turbid  state  of  the  water  at  the  periods  when  the 
trunk  decayed  and  became  hollow,  and  according  to 
the  height  to  which  it  was  prolonged  upwards  in  the 
air  or  water  after  it  began  to  be  imbedded  externally 
in  sediment,  and  various  other  accidents.  It  is  not 
uncommon  to  observe  in  Nova  Scotia,  as  in  England, 
that  the  layers  of  matter  in  the  inside  are  fewer  than 
those  without.  Thus,  a  "  pipe"  or  cylinder  of  pure 
white  sandstone,  representing  the  interior  of  a  fossil 
tree,  will  sometimes  intersect  numerous  alternations 
of  shale  and  sandstone.  In  some  of  the  layers  in  the 
inside  of  the  trunk,  a,  h,  fig.  19,  and  in  other  trees 
in  this  line  of  cliffs,  I  saw  leaves  of  ferns  and  fraff- 
ments  of  plants  which  had  fallen  in  together  with  the 
sediment, 

Continuing  my  survey,  I  found  the  second  of  the 
erect  trees,  e.  fig.  18,  or  a,  fig.  21,  separated  from  the 
first,  or  from  a,  b,  fig.  19,  by  a  considerable  mass  of 
shale  and  sandstone.  This  second  trunk  was  about 
nine  feet  in  length,  traversing  various  strata,  and  cut 


Chap,  xx^^- 

les.    In  the 
stinct  layers 
1,  shale  four 
andstone  one 
inches,  shale 
ironstone,  /» 
idstone  three 

B  Manchester 
it  want  of  cor- 
a  buried  tree,  |j 
imulated  in  the 
J  more  or  less 
riods  when  the 
nd  according  to 
upwards  in  the 
>ddcd  externally 
Icnts.  It  is  not 
1,  as  in  England, 

3  are  fewer  than 
cylinder  of  pure 
terior  of  a  fossil 
ous  alternations 
the  layers  in  the 
in  other  trees 
,  ferns  and  frag- 
:ocTethcr  with  the 

L  second  of  the 
Iparated  from  the 
Iderablc  mass  of 
J  trunk  was  about 
Ls  strata,  and  cut 


Chap.  xxiv. 


F0S8IL    TUEE8    IN    COAL. 


165 


off  at  the  top  by  a  layer  of  clay  two  feet  thick,  on 
which  rested  a  seam  of  coal,  b,  fig.  21,  one  foot  thick. 
This  coal  formed  a  foundation  on  which  stood  two 
large  trees,  c  and  d,  fig.  21,  about  five  yards  apart, 
each  about  two  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  and  four- 
teen feet  long,  both  enlarging  downwards,  and  one 
of  them,  d,  bulging  considerably  at  the  base.  The 
beds  through  which  they  pass  consist  of  shale  and 
sandstone.  The  cliff  was  too  precipitous  to  allow 
me  to  discover  any  commencement  of  roots,  but  the 
bottom  of  the  trunks  seemed  to  touch  the  subjacent 
coal.  Above  these  trees  were  beds  of  bituminous 
shale  and  clays  with  Stigmaria,  ten  feet  thick,  on 
which  rested  another  bed  of  coal,  c,  one  foot  thick, 
and  this  coal  supported  two  trees,  /,  g,  each  eleven 
feet  high,  and  sixty  yards  apart.  They  appeared  to 
have  grown  on  the  coal,  e.  One  of  these,  about  two 
feet  in  diameter,  preserved  nearly  the  same  size  from 
top  to  bottom,  while  the  other,  which  was  about  four- 
teen inches  in  diameter  at  the  top,  enlarged  visibly  at 
the  base.  The  irregular  furrows  of  the  bark  were 
an  inch  and  half  one  from  the  other.  The  tops  of 
these  trees  were  cut  off  by  a  bed  of  clay,  on  which 
rested  the  main  seam  of  the  South  Joggins  coal,  four 
feet  thick,  above  which  is  another  succession  of 
strata,  very  similar  to  those  already  described,  with 
occasional  thin  seams  of  coal,  and  with  vertical  trees 
at  five  or  six  different  levels. 

I  observed  in  all  at  least  seventeen  of  these  up- 
right trunks,  but  in  no  instance  did  1  see  any  one  of 
them  intersecting  a  layer  of  coal,  however  thin,  nor 
did  1  find  any  one  of  them  terminating  downwards 
in  sandstone,  but  always  in  coal  or  shale.     Their 


i  ■ 


I. 


H<^ 


'1?' ' 


I* 


II 


m 

m 


156 


STIOMARIif!    ROOTS   OP   TREES.        Cha».  XXIV. 


usual  height,  was  from  six  to  eight  feet,  but  one  which 
was  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above  the  beach,  and 
which  I  could  not  approach  to  measure,  seemed  to 
be  Iwenty-five  feet  high,  and  four  feet  in  diameter, 
with  a  considerable  bulge  at  the  base.  They  all  ap- 
pear to  be  of  one  species,  the  rugosities  on  the  sur- 
face i)roducing  the  effect  of  a  rudely-fluted  column, 
and  they  were  placed  very  accurately  at  right  angles 
to  the  |)lancs  of  stratification.  1  found  numerous 
flattened  trunks  of  large  Sigillariae  with  their  flutings 
and  leaf  scars  in  the  shales,  but  none  of  them  resem- 
bled the  erect  trees  with  their  irregularly  furrowed 
exterior. 

Stigmaria)  are  abundant  in  the  argillaceous  sand- 
stones of  these  coal-measures,  often  with  their  leaves 
attached,  and  spreading  regularly  in  all  directions 
from  the  stem.  It  commonly  happens  here,  as  in 
Europe,  that,  when  this  plant  occurs  in  sandstone, 
none  of  its  leaf-like  processes  (or  rootlets  ?)  are  at- 
tached, but  I  saw  one  remarkable  exception  in  strata 
of  micaceous  sandstone,  between  the  site  of  the  up- 
right tree  represented  in  fg.  19  and  those  given  in 
fig.  21.  The  stem  was  about  four  inches  thick  (see 
fig.  20),  and  it  traversed  obliquely  several  layers  of 
fine  white  micaceous  sandstone  two  feet  in  vertical 
thickness.  Mr.  Blnncy  of  Manchester  seems  now  to 
have  proved  that  these  Stigmarias  are  really  the  roots 
of  Sigillaria,  by  finding  them  actually  proceeding 
from  the  bottoms  or  stools  of  the  trunks  of  Sigillaria? 
which  occur  erect  in  the  British  coal-measures.  We 
may  therefore  conclude  tliat  the  dome-shaped  mass 
represented  by  Messrs.  Lindley  and  Hutton  in  their 
Fossil  Flora,  pi.  31,  and  figured  by  Dr.  Buckland  in 


Chat.  xxiv. 

t  one  which 
beach,  and 
,  seemed  to 
a  diameter, 

rhey  all  «P- 

on  the  sur- 
ited  column, 

right  angles 
id  numerous 
their  flutings 

them  resem- 
irly  furrowed 

llaceous  sand- 
th  their  leaves 
all  directions 
:is  here,  as  in 
in  sandstone, 
otlets?)  areat- 
;ption  in  strata 
site  of  the  up- 
Ithose  given  in 
jches  thick  (see 
.  eral  layers  of 
feet  in  vertical 
[•  seems  now  to 
■cally  the  roots 
fUy  proceeding 
ks  of  SIgillaria3 
leasures.     Wo 
jc-shaped  mass 
[Hutton  in  their 
ir.  Buckland  in 


Chap.  XXIV,       STIGMARIi^    ROOTa    OF    TREES. 


157 


his  Bridgcwatcr  Treatise,  pi.  5G,  vol.  ii.,  was  nothing 
more  or  less  than  a  section  of  the  stump  of  a  fossil 
Sigillaria,  from  which  the  roots  extended  in  all  direc- 
tions through  the  ancient  soil.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered that  M.  Adolphe  Brongniart,  when  he  obtained 
from  Autun  the  first  and  only  example  yet  discover- 
ed of  a  Sigillaria  exhibiting  internal  structure,  pro- 
nounced it  to  agree  so  nearly  with  Stigmaria,  that  he 
inferred  on  botanical  considerations  alone,  that  both 
must  belong  to  the  same  plant,  and  that  the  Stigma- 
ria was  probably  the  root.  In  some  of  the  specimens 
of  the  latter  plant  obtained  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  cut  in 
thin  slices  so  as  to  transmit  light,  the  woody  fibre  of 
the  internal  cylinder  surrounding  the  axis  from  which 
the  pith  has  disappeared,  shows,  under  the  microscope, 
the  vascular  tissue,  and  the  fern-like  or  scalariform 
vessels,  which  are  so  conspicuous  in  European  Stig- 
mariae.  By  aid  of  the  silicified  fossil  from  Autun, 
M.  Ad.  Brongniart  has  been  enabled  to  demonstrate 
that  this  structure,  or  the  scalariform  vessels,  so  dis- 
tinguishing a  character  of  the  living  Ferns  and  some 
other  cryptogamous  plants,  is  united  in  Sigillaria  with 
rings  of  growth  peculiar  to  dicotyledonous  trees,  so 
that  we  have  here,  in  this  extinct  genus,  a  link  be- 
tween classes  of  plants  standing  widely  apart  from 
each  other  in  the  arrangement  of  existing  vegetables. 
I  have  stated  that  I  counted  sevei)tecn  upright  trees 
in  the  strata  of  the  South  Joggins,  and  I  was  assured 
by  Dr.  Gesner,  and  by  residents  av  Minudic,  that 
other  and  diflferent  individuals  were  exposed  a  few 
years  ago ;  the  action  of  the  tides  of  the  Bay  of  Fun- 
dy  being  so  destructive  as  continually  to  undermine 
and  sweep  away  the  whole  face  of  the  cliflTs,  so  that 

16 


I' 


U 


\\  ] 


VOL.  II. 


i       •  ■ 

I'   ! 


158 


AMERICAN    COAL-PLANTS. 


Chap.  xxiv. 


a  new  crop  of  fossils  is  laid  open  to  view  every  three 
or  four  years.  I  saw  the  erect  trees  at  more  than  ten 
distinct  levels,  one  above  the  other ;  they  extend  over 
a  space  of  two  or  three  miles  from  north  to  south, 
and  more  than  twice  that  distance  from  cast  to  west, 
as  I  am  informed  by  Dr.  Gesner,  who  has  explored 
the  banks  of  streams  intersecting  this  coal-field.  For 
the  names  of  Sigillaria;,  Lepidodendra,  Ferns,  and 
Calamites  collected  by  me  in  the  cliffs  of  the  South 
Joggins,  and  in  other  coal-measures  of  Nova  Scotia, 
I  refer  to  the  list  given  at  the  end  of  this  chapter, 
calling  the  reader's  attention  to  the  extraordinary 
amount  of  specific  identity  in  fossils  so  widely  sepa- 
rated from  each  other  in  their  "  habitations."  It  ap- 
pears that,  out  of  forty-eight  species,  without  enume- 
rating the  different  kinds  of  Stigmarico,  which  agree 
perfectly  with  the  varieties  found  in  England,  there 
are  no  less  than  thirty-seven  which  have  been  identi- 
fied. The  greater  part  of  the  remaining  eleven  might 
perhaps  have  been  found  to  agree  with  known  Euro- 
pean fossils,  had  not  most  of  the  specimens  been  in 
too  imperfect  a  state  to  admit  of  close  comparison. 

Out  of  fifty-three  species  obtained  by  me  from  the 
coal-fields  of  the  United  States  (almost  all  of  them 
from  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  and  Ohio),  I  have  been 
able  to  identify  thirty-five  with  European  fossils, 
chiefly  species  found  in  Great  Britain.  Of  the  re- 
maining eighteen,  only  four  can  be  said  to  be  peculiar 
forms,  the  other  fourteen  being  all  closely  allied  spe- 
cies, or  geographical  representatives  of  European 
coal  plants.  When  it  )  ^  considered  that  all  the  gene- 
ra of  these  fossils  arc  likewise  common  to  North 
America  and  Europe,  we  seem  entitled  to  declare. 


Chap.  xxiv. 

V  every  three 
Borc  than  ten 
y  extend  over 
lorth  to  south, 
1  cast  to  west, 
has  explored 
ral-ndd.     For 
ra.  Ferns,  and 
fs  of  the  South 
f  Nova  Scotia, 
3f  this  chapter, 
extraordinary 
so  widely  sepa- 
tations."    It  ap- 
without  cnume- 
ia,  which  agree 
I  England,  there 
lavc  been  identi- 
ing  eleven  might 
fith  known  Euro- 
iccimcns  been  in 
le  comparison. 
I  by  me  from  the 
[Tiost  all  of  them 
>hio),l  have  been 

.uropean  fossils, 
lain.    Of  the  re- 
ad to  be  peculiar 
;losely  allied  spe- 
rcs  of  European 
that  all  the  gene- 
,mmon  to  North 
.titled  to  declare, 


Chap.  \xiv.     section    OF   CI.IFIS,   8.    JUOUINti. 


159 


that  so  groat  a  degree  of  uniformity  in  the  flora  of 
regions  equally  remote  is  without  parallel,  whether  in 
the  more  ancient  strata  or  in  the  geographical  distri- 
bution of  plants,  in  tiie  present  condition  of  the  globe. 

Continuing  our  survey  of  the  clifls  of  the  South 
Joggins,  we  observe,  not  far  above  the  uppermost 
coal-scams  with  vertical  trees,  or,  g,  Jig.  18,  two 
strata,  //,  i,  perhaps  of  freshwater  or  estuary  origin, 
composed  of  black  calcareo-bituminous  shale,  chiefly 
made  up  of  compressed  shells,  of  two  species  of 
Modiola  and  two  kinds  of  Cypris.  Above  these 
beds  arc  innumerable  strata  of  red  sandstone  or 
shale,  without  coal  seams,  and  with  few  or  no  fossils, 
on  which  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  dwell. 

Many  curious  conclusions  may  be  deduced  from 
the  facts  above  enumerated. 

1st.  The  erect  position  of  the  trees,  and  their  per- 
pendicularity to  the  planes  of  stratification,  imply 
that  a  thickness  of  several  thousand  feet  of  strata, 
now  uniformly  inclined  at  an  angle  of  24°,  were 
deposited  originally  in  a  horizontal  position.  But 
for  the  existence  of  the  upright  trees  it  might  have 
been  conjectured,  that  the  beds  of  sand  and  mud  have 
been  thrown  down  at  first  on  a  sloping  bank,  as 
sometimes  happens  in  the  case  of  gravel  and  coarse 
sand.  But,  if  we  are  compelled  to  assume  the  ori- 
ginal horizontality  of  beds  2500  feet  thick,  through 
which  the  erect  trees  are  dispersed,  we  can  hardly 
avoid  extending  the  same  inference  to  the  greater 
part  of  the  strata  above  and  below  them.  It  by  no 
means  follows  that  a  sea  four  or  five  miles  deep  was 
filled  up  with  sand  and  sediment.  On  the  contrary, 
repeated  subsidences,  such  as  are  required  to  explain 


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160 


ERECT    FOSSIL   TREES. 


Chap.  zziv. 


the  successive  submergence  of  so  many  forests  which 
grew  one  above  the  other,  may  have  enabled  this 
enormous  accumulation  of  strata  to  have  taken  place 
in  a  sea  of  moderate  depth. 

Secondly.  The  evidence  of  the  growth  of  more  than 
ten  forests  of  fossil  trees  superimposed  one  upon  the 
other  prepares  us  to  admit  more  willingly  the 
opinion,  that  the  Stigmaria  with  its  root-like  procespos 
was  really  the  root  of  a  terrestrial  plant  fossilised 
in  situ.  Yet,  if  we  embrace  this  opinion,  it  follows 
that  all  the  innumerable  underclays  with  Stigmariaj 
in  North  America  and  Europe,  which  I  have  alluded 
to  at  pp.  62  and  84,  Vol.  I.,  and  p.  15,  Vol.  II.,  &c.,  are 
indications  of  an  equal  number  of  soils,  whether  of 
dry  land  or  freshwater  marshes,  which  supported  a 
growth  of  timber,  and  were  then  submerged.  If 
this  be  true,  and  the  conclusion  seems  inevitable, 
the  phenomenon  of  the  upright  trees  in  Nova  Scotia, 
marvellous  as  it  may  be,  shrinks  into  insignificance 
by  comparison. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  quite  intelligible,  that  we 
should  find  hundreds  of  cases  where  the  soil  has 
remained  with  the  roots  fixed  in  their  original  matrix 
for  one  instance  where  the  trunk  has  continued  to 
stand  erect  after  submergence.  Many  favourable 
circumstances  must  concur,  to  allow  of  such  an 
exception  to  the  general  rule.  There  must,  for 
example,  be  an  absence  of  waves  and  currents  of 
sufficient  strength  to  loosen  and  overturn  the  trees, 
and  the  water  must  be  charged  with  sediment  ready 
to  envelope  the  plants  before  they  have  had  time  to- 
tally to  decay.  I  have  shown  (p.  164,  Vol.  I.)  that  on 
the  coast  of  S.  Carolina  and  Georgia  the  land  has  sunk 


Chap.  xxiv. 

forests  which 
enabled  this 
B  taken  place 

I  of  more  than 
one  upon  the 
willingly  the 
like  procespos 
lant  fossilised 
ion,  it  follows 
ith  Stigmariffi 
I  have  alluded 
ol.  II.,  &c.,  are 
ils,  whether  of 
h  supported  a 
ubmerged.    If 
jms  inevitable, 
n  Nova  Scotia, 
insignificance 

Igible,  that  we 
[e  the  soil  has 
original  matrix 
continued  to 
Lny  favourable 
of  such  an 
Lere  must,  for 
Id  currents  of 
lurn  the  trees, 
lediment  ready 
|e  had  time  to- 
Tol  I.)  that  on 
J  land  has  sunk 


Chap.  xxiv. 


ERECT    FOSSIL   TREES 


161 


in  modem  times,  and  that  buried  trees  are  occasion- 
ally found  in  strata  containing  shells  of  recent  species. 
The  formation  of  low  islands  of  sand  off  the  shore, 
breaking  the  force  of  the  Atlantic,  has  probably 
allowed  many  of  these  trees  near  the  mouths  of 
estuaries  to  continue  erect  under  water,  until  they 
were  silted  up  and  preserved.  Similar  low  islands 
and  sandbanks  skirt  nearly  the  whole  of  the  eastern 
coast  of  the  United  States,  and  may  assist  the 
geologist  in  explaining  some  of  the  phenomena  of 
the  Carboniferous  period,  especially  the  manner  in 
which  superficial  beds  of  vegetable  matter,  as  well  as 
upright  trees,  escaped  the  denuding  forces. 

Thirdly.  It  has  been  objected  to  the  theory  which 
refers  the  origin  of  seams  of  pure  coal  to  plants 
which  grew  on  the  exact  spaces  where  we  now  find 
coal,  that  the  surfaces  of  ancient  continents  and 
islands  ought  to  undulate  like  those  we  now  inhabit. 
Where,  they  ask,  are  the  signs  of  hills  and  valleys, 
and  those  river-channels  which  cut  through  deltas  ? 
These  apparent  difficulties  will,  I  think,  be  removed, 
if  we  reflect  that  the  fossilisation  of  successive 
forests  presupposes  both  the  subsidence  of  the  ground 
and  the  deposition  of  sediment  going  on  simulta- 
neously. If  so,  the  accumulation  of  mud  and  sand 
furnishes  us  with  the  levelling  power  required,  and, 
had  there  been  extensive  denudation  capable  of  pro- 
ducing valleys,  it  could  readily  have  swept  away  all 
the  coal.  In  regard  to  ancient  river-courses,  the 
late  Mr.  Buddie  often  assured  me,  that  he  had  in 
many  places  met  with  them  in  the  coal-fields  of  the 
North  of  England,  and  he   has   given   a  detailed 

account  of  one  which  intersected  a  scam  of  coal  in 

15* 


•I    , 
'i  i 


i    ; 


tii     ' 


•I  ! 


'i  •'>■ 


rr 


:|!      1 


162 


ORIGIN    OF   COAL-SEAMS. 


Chap.  xxiv. 


f  1 


the  Forest  of  Dean.  Even  in  these  cases,  however, 
the  general  evenness  of  the  surface  is  immediately 
restored  by  a  new  sinking  of  the  deUa,  and  the  depo- 
sition of  fresh  sediment,  so  that  the  succeeding  seam 
of  coal  has  grown  on  as  perfectly  flat  a  surface  as  if 
there  had  been  no  partial  destruction  of  the  beds 
below. 

If  it  be  objected  that,  according  to  the  analogy  of 
recent  subterranean  movements,  some  areas  ought  to 
have  sunk  down  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than  others, 
producing  irregularities  in  the  ancient  level  of  the 
dry  land,  we  reply,  that  there  are  abundant  proofs  in 
the  arrangement  of  the  carboniferous  strata,  that 
the  amount  of  local  subsidence  was  actuallv  not  uni- 
form.  Mr.  Bowman  has  clearly  pointed  out,  that 
the  wedge-shaped  or  lenticular  masses  of  sandstone 
and  shale,  which  sometimes  intervene  between  the 
upper  and  lower  portions  of  a  seam  of  coal,  are  the 
natural  result  of  such  inequalities  in  the  downward 
movement.  In  those  areas  which  sink  so  fast  as  to 
be  submerged,  the  growth  of  terrestrial  plants  is 
suddenly  arrested,  and  the  depressed  region  becomes 
the  receptacle  of  sediment,  until  its  level  is  again 
raised.  Then  the  growth  of  the  former  vegetation 
is  resumed,  and  the  result  is  the  intercalation  of 
strata  for  a  certain  space  between  two  beds  of  coal, 
which  unite  and  become  one,  if  they  are  followed  to 
a  certain  distance  in  every  direction. 

In  our  excursion  to  the  fossil  trees.  Dr.  Gesner 
and  I  were  joined  by  several  volunteers,  some  of 
whom  separated  from  us  on  their  way  home.  I 
asked  a  cottager,  whether  he  had  seen  them  pass. 
He  said,  that  ''  a  party  of  Jogginers  on  horseback 


Chap.  xxiv. 

ases,  however, 
s  immediately 
,  and  the  depo- 
icceeding  seam 
a  surface  as  if 
jn  of  the  beds 

the  analogy  of 
3  areas  ought  to 
lie  than  others, 
3nt  level  of  the 
undant  proofs  in 
ous  strata,  that 
actually  not  uni- 
jointed  out,  that 
5ses  of  sandstone 
ene  between  the 
p  of  coal,  are  the 
n  the  downward 
link  so  fast  as  to 
jstrial  plants  is 
region  becomes 
3  level  is  again 
irmer  vegetation 
intercalation  of 
lWO  beds  of  coal, 
are  followed  to 

■ 

i-ees.  Dr.  Gesner 

lunteers,  some  of 

way  home.    I 

seen  them  pass. 

brs  on  horseback 


Chap.  xxiv. 


PICTOU   COAL-FIELD. 


163 


had  come  by  his  house  half  an  hour  before."  As  I 
had  heard  of  a  North  Joggins  on  the  other  side  of 
the  bay,  I  asked  whether  there  was  any  meaning  in 
this  term.  He  immediately  pointed  to  the  salient 
and  retiring  angles  of  the  cliffs,  observing,  "  You  see 
that  they  jog  in  and  jog  out." 

The  coal-field  of  Pictou,  the  only  one  in  Nova 
Scotia  where  a  large  quantity  of  the  valuable  mine- 
ral has  been  worked,  lies  about  a  hundred  miles  to 
the  eastward  of  the  Cumberland  or  Minudie  coal- 
measures.  An  examination  of  the  strata  of  the 
Albion  Mines,  near  Pictou,  convinced  me  that  the 
coal-bearing  formation  there  is  the  equivalent  of  that 
already  described,  although  it  may  be  impossible  to 
identify  the  different  strata  in  detail.  They  contain 
the  same  fossil  plants,  and  similar  shales,  with  the 
same  species  of  Modiola  and  Cypris,  as  at  the  South 
Joggins.  At  the  latter  place,  the  largest  seam  is 
only  four  feet  thick,  whereas  that  at  the  Albion 
mines  is  estimated  at  thirteen  yards  in  thickness.  In 
both  localities  there  is  a  vast  series  of  beds  of  red 
sandstone  and  red  marl,  with  limestone  and  gypsum 
underlying  the  principal  coal-seams,  and  an  enormous 
thickness  of  sandstones  and  shales,  without  coal,  above 
them. 

The  only  spot  in  the  Pictou  coal-field  where  plants 
have  been  observed  in  an  erect  position  is  at  Dick- 
son's Mills,  a  mile  and  a  quarter  west  of  Pictou. 
Here  a  bed  of  upright  Calamites  were  discovered  by 
Mr.  J.  W.  Dawson,  with  whom  I  visited  the  locality. 
But  the  section  in  1842  was  almost  entirely  con- 
cealed by  water.  The  strata  consisted  of  red  and 
grey  sandstones    and  shales,  with   imbedded  fern 


i 


i';! 


I 


I 


f 


!  < 


I 


k 


II 


i 


M 


164 


UPRIGHT   CALAMITE8. 


Chap.  xxiv. 


loives,  and  numerous  fragments  of  Calamites  and 
Sternbergia.  The  sandstone  in  which  the  upright 
Calamites  were  enveloped  was  about  ten  feet  thick, 
and  all  these  terminated  downwards  at  the  same 
level,  where  the  sandstone  joined  a  layer  of  coarse 
grey  limestone  with  pebbles.  The  tops  of  the 
Calamites  were  broken  off  at  different  heights,  where 
the  grit  became  coarser.  Mr.  Dawson  states  that 
he  observed  in  the  same  bed,  in  a  prostrate  position, 
a  Icpidodendron,  with  leaves  and  lepidostrobi  attached 
to  its  branches. 

Since  my  excursion  to  Nova  Scotia,  I  have  ex- 
amined the  French  coal-field  of  St.  Etienne  near 
Lyons,  where  M.  Alexandre  Brongniart  first  de- 
scribed a  great  bed  of  erect  Calamites,  inclosed  in 
sandstone,  which  he  believed  to  have  grown  where 
they  have  become  fossil.  The  section  of  the  beds 
of  which  he  published  a  drawing,  representing  the 
erect  fossil  stems,  has  been  since  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  the  quarrying  away  of  the  sandstone, 
but  I  obtained  so  much  evidence,  in  1843,  of  the 
occurrence  of  various  upright  trees,  Sigillarlse  and 
others,  at  different  levels  in  the  same  coal  formation, 
as  to  incline  me  fully  to  believe  M.  Alex.  Brong- 
niart's  conclusions,  and  to  retract  the  objections  I 
formerly  urged  against  his  inferences,  on  the  ground 
of  the  different  heights  at  which  the  Calamites 
terminated  downwards.*  This  may  perhaps  be 
explained  by  a  slight  obliquity  in  the  direction  of  the 
trunks,  or  a  want  of  perpendicularity  in  the  vertical 
face  of  the  cliffs  to  the  planes  of  stratification. 

•  See  Elements  of  Geol ,  vol.  ii ,  p.  137. 


Chap.  xxiv. 

Calamites  and 
ch  the  upright 
ten  feet  thick, 
s  at  the  same 
layer  of  coarse 
e    tops  of   the 
t  heights,  where 
;rson  states  that 
ostrate  position, 
lostrobi  attached 

otia,  I  have  ex- 
It.  Etienne  near 
ngniart  first  de- 
lites,  inclosed  in 
ve  grown  where 
;tion  of  the  beds 
representing  the 
ice    entirely    de- 
if  the  sandstone, 
in  1843,  of  the 
s,  SigillarifiB  and 
le  coal  formation, 
Alex.  Brong- 
the  objections  I 
IS,  on  the  ground 
the  Calamites 
lay  perhaps    be 
direction  of  the 
ty  in  the  vertical 
itification. 

.  137. 


Crap.  xxiv. 


LIST   OP   COAL    PLANTS. 


165 


The  following  list  of  plants  comprises  several 
species  which  I  did  not  meet  with  in  Nova  Scotia, 
but  which  occur  in  the  neighbouring  island  of  Cape 
Breton,  and  were  presented,  at  different  times,  to 
me  and  to  the  Geological  Society,  by  Mr.  Richard 
Brown.  For  several  specimens  from  Nova  Scotia 
I  have  been  indebted  to  Mr.  J.  W.  Dawson,  of 
Pictou,  and  to  Mr.  Alison,  F.G.S.  I  have  also 
included  in  the  catalogue  one  or  two  fossils  from 
the  New  Brunswick  coal-field  (which  may  be  con- 
sidered as  another  part  of  that  near  Minudie) 
presented  to  the  Geological  Society  by  Mr.  Hen- 
wood. 

In  determining  the  specific  characters  and  names, 
I  have  been  principally  indebted  to  Mr.  Samuel 
Woodward,  of  the  Geological  Society,  who  has  been 
occasionally  assisted  by  Mr.  Morris,  and  I  have  re- 
ferred, in  some  points  of  difficulty,  to  M.  Adolphe 
Brongniart.  After  the  list  was  completed,  it  was 
revised,  as  far  as  relates  to  the  ferns,  by  Mr.  Chas. 
Bunbury,  some  of  whose  corrections  have  been 
adopted,  and  his  comments  cited. 

LIST  OF  FOSSIL   PLANTS    FROM    THE    COAL   MEASURES   OF 
NOVA  SCOTIA  AND  CAPE  BRETON. 


NAMES  OF  FOSSIL  PLANTS. 

1.  Flabellaria  Sternb. 

Fragments  of  large  palm-like 
leaves,  such  as  are  figured  by  Stern- 
berg under  the  name  of  Flabellaria, 
are  common  in  many  British  and 
Continental  localities. 

2.  Cyperites  Lindl. 

Identical  with  the  grass-like 
leaves  of  C.  bicarinata,  as  far  as  the 
specimens  admit  of  comparison. 


LOCALITIES. 


Horton  Bmff,  near 
Windsor.  South  Jog- 
gins,  and  Pictou  in 
Nova  Scotia. 


Cape  Breton. 


I  1 

(I, 


V  ; 


I       I 


»..  f. 


■I 


\' 


i.   1 


■IP 


III; 


166 


LIST   OP   COAL-PLANTfl   OP 


Chap.  zht. 


NAMES  OF   rOSSIL    PLANTS. 


3.  Trigonocarpum  Brongn. 

An  undescribed  and  new  species 
of  this  genus,  so  common  in  the 
European  coal-iielda,  was  given  me 
by  Mr.  Dawson. 

4.  Artisia  approximata  Brong. 

This  plant  (the  Sternbergia  of 
Brong.)  is  considered  by  Mr. 
Dawes  as  the  cast  of  the  medullary 
cavity  of  stems  of  trees.  Quarter- 
ly Journ.  Oeol.  Soc.,  No.  1,  p.  91. 

5.  Asterophyllites,  allied  to  A. 

tubcrculata. 

Mr.  Binney  considers  the  speci- 
men from  Sydney  to  differ  from  A. 
tuberculata,  but  to  be  identical  with 
a  species  found  at  Manchester. 

6.  A.  galioides  ?  Lindl. 

British. 

7.  Sphenophyllum     Schlolthei- 

mii?  Brong. 

A  common  British  coal  plant,  of 
which  I  found  only  one  specimen. 

8.  Pinnularia  capillacea  Lindl. 

Also  British. 

9.  Lepidophyllum    lanceolatum 

{Lindley  and  Hutton)  t.  7. 

fig.  3,  4. 

Also  British  species. 

10.  Lepidodendron    Rhodianum 

Sternberg. 
Also  British. 

11.  L.  obovatum  Sternberg^  t.  6. 

f.  1  ;  Lindley  and  Hutton, 

pi.  19,  bis. 

Also  British. 

The  L.  aculeatum  which  1  found 


LOCALITIBS. 

Pictou. 


Pictou  and  South  Jog> 
gins,  Nova  Scotia. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Pictou,  Nova  Scotia. 


Pictou,  Nova  Scotia; 
Sydney,  Cape  Bre- 
ton. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Pictou,  Nova  Scotia. 


Cape  Breton. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Chat.  x«^' 

tOCAMTXM- 
DU. 


,tou  and  South  Jog- 
gln9,NovaScotm. 


ydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Chap.  xxiv.     nova  scotia  and  cape  oreton. 


167 


Pictou,  Nova  Scotia. 

Pictou,  -Nova  Scotia  •. 
Sydney,  Cape  Bre 
ton. 

Sydney.  Cape  Breton. 
1  Pictou,  Nova  Scotia. 


Cape  Breton. 


,  Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


NAMES   OF    F088IL    PLANTS. 

abundantly  associated  with  this  in 
the  U.  S.  coal-fields  appears  to  Mr. 
Woodward  not  specihcaliy  distinct 
from  L.  obovatum. 

12.  L.  undul.itum  Sternberg. 

This  species,  also  British,  was 
found  by  Mr.  Henwod  in  New 
Brunswick. 

ip.  Lepidodendronelegans(I.tnrf- 
letj  and  Hutton.) 

Extremely  common  in  the  coal- 
fields of  Nova  Scotia  down  to  the 
lower  or  gypsiferous  coal-measures. 

14.  L.  gracile  ? 

Also  a  British  species. 

16.  L.  (new  species.) 

Not  known  in  Europe  or  else- 
where ;  the  specimen  is  in  the  Mu- 
seum of  the  Ueol.  Society. 

16.  L.  In  the  same  fissured  state 

as  L.  or  natissimum,  figured 
by  Brongniart. 

17.  Lycopodites  ?      selaginoides 

(Lepidcdendron    selaginoi- 
des Sternberg). 

Common  in  the  British  and  Bohe- 
mian coal-measures. 

18.  Lepidostrobus. 

I  met  with  no  species  myself  in 
Nova  Scotia,  but  Mr.  Dawson  has 
observed  it  associated  as  in  Europe 
with  Lepidodendron. 

19.  Sigillaria  Saullii  Brong.  pi. 

151. 

A  British  species  found  at  Man- 
chester. 


LOCALITIES. 


Bathurst,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


Horton  and  Windsor, 
Nova  Scotia;  Syd- 
ney, Cape  Breton. 


South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia;  Cape  Bre- 
ton. 

Cape  Breton. 


South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 


Cape  Breton. 


Pictou,  Nova  Scotia. 


Windsor,  Nova  Scotia; 
Sydney,  C.  B. 


m 


Ul 


ill 


■  il'M 

\ 

;  III 


1 ; 


\ 


'^ 


108 


LIST   OF   COAL-PLANTS    OF  Chap.  XXIV. 


)    I"    I;! 

I'' 


NAMES   OF    rOBSIL   TVASTt. 


20.  S.  allied  to  S.  Schlotthertnii 

Brong.  pi.  152t  fig.  4. 

21.  S.  scutellata  Brong.  pi.  163, 

fig.  3. 

Also  British. 

Queer e.  Same  as  S.  undulata  of 
Sternberg,  tab.  1 5. 

22.  Sigillaria  reniformis  Brong. 

pi.  142.     Lindley  Sc  H.  pi. 
57  and  71. 

Thia  British  species  I  have  ob- 
tained from  Cape  Breton  in  a  decor- 
ticated state,  and  found  it  common, 
with  its  bark,  at  Frostburg  in  Mary- 
land. 

23.  S.  organum  Lindley  &  H. 

t.    70.      Syriogodendron  ? 

Brong. 

A  British  species. 

24.  Lyginodendron. 

1  found  various  fluted  stems  with- 
out scars  in  the  lower  coal  forma- 
tion near  Windsor,  and  elsewhere 
in  Nova  Scotia.  Perhaps  these  fos- 
sils may  be  only  lower  portions  of 
the  stems  of  Sigillarise,  in  which 
the  scars  are  obliterated  by  age  and 
growth. 

25.  Stigmaria   ficoides,  and  nu- 

merous varieties. 

These  seem  to  agree  well  with 
the  different  British  kinds,  probably 
the  roots  of  distinct  species  of  Si- 
gillaria. 

26.  Neuropteris  cordata,  Brongn. 

pi.  64,  f.  5.     Lindley  and 

Huttonf  41. 

Extremely  common  in  the  middle 


LOCALITIEB. 

South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 

South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Nova  Scctia,  passim. 


Dickson's  Mill,  Pictou, 
Nova  Scotia,  and 
Cape  Breton. 


OF        Chap.  xxiv. 


LOCALITIES. 

)Uth  Joggine,  Nova 
Scotia. 

)uth  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 


^dney,  Cape  Breton. 


Ifduey,  Cape  Breton. 


ova  Scctia,  passim. 


ickson's  Mill,  Pictou, 
Nova  Scotia,  and 
Cape  Breton. 


Also  British. 
28.  ^^^u^roptorisflcxuosai?ron^,, 

^;  «•' '^nd  Eu«,pe.    Also  Brit'^h  ' 
29.  N  acutifolia  ?  allied  to  Odon- 
•  ^optens  minor   Brongn    t 


160 


I  '"''^'-lur.*. 

! 
i 

Capo  Breton. 
Capo  Breton. 


30.  Cyclopteris  dilatata  ?     Lind 
ropteris  ingens,  t.  91,  A 

33.  K  ^abbrevmta    a.„„^„.    p, 

Common  British  jpeeies. 

38.  K  artorescens   Sron^.  p,_ 

Also  British. 


Sydney,  Capo  Breton. 
Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


South  Jogging,  ,„j 
JJickson's  Afiil,  Pic. 
tou ;  also  Bathurst, 
New  Brunswick. 


Cape  Breton. 
Cape  Breton. 


34-  K  lonchitica  Bnngn.  p/.  84. 


South  Jog-nrins,  Nora 
I     «cotia. 


w 


170 


LIST   OP   C0AL-PLANT8   OF 


Chap.  xxir. 


NAMKH   or    rOMIL    PLANT*. 


86.  p.  ptcroidcs  Brongn.  pi.  09. 
f.  1. 

Also  British. 

30.  Pccoptcris  icqimliH  Brongn. 
Also  Uritish. 


87.  P. 


-? 


A  remarkable  species,  with  ana- 
stomozlnff  veins,  resembling  in  this 
respect  tlie  1*.  Defrancii  of  Bron- 
gniart.  Mr.  Cliarles  Bunbury  ob- 
serves respecting  this  species,  that 
"  its  venation  is  completely  reticu- 
lated, the  midrib  evanescent,"  and 
"  it  would  form  the  type  of  a  new 
genus,  standing  in  the  same  rela- 
tion to  Lonchopteris  as  Neuropteris 
does  to  Pecopteris." 

38.  P.  Sillimanni  ?.     Brongn.  pi. 

90,  f.  5. 

A  single  pinna,  collected  by  Mr. 
Ilenwood. 

39.  P.  villosa  Brongn.   pi.  104, 

f.  3. 

Also  British. 

40.  P.  Serlii  Brongn.  pi.  85. 

Also  British. 

Calamites. 

The  specimens  of  this  genus 
scarcely  afford  satisfactory  .specific 
characters  to  the  botanist,  but  all 
the  Nova  Scotia  fossils  agree  with 
common  European  forms  from  the 
coal-measures. 

41.  C.  cannaeformis  Schlot. 


42.  C.  Suckowii  Brongn. 


Z.OCALITIKI. 

Bathurst,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


Cape  Breton. 
Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


Bathurst,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


Dickson's  Mill,  Nova 
Scotia. 


Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Cape 
Breton. 

South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 


or        Chaf.  xxit. 


vocAhvnin. 


athurst,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


ape  Breton. 

ydney,  Cape  Breton. 


^'  ^'  "PP^oximatus  Artis. 

44.  C.  arcnacous  ?    /^.^^^^ 

45.  C.  Steinhaueri  Brongn. 

40.  C.  dubius  5ro«^„. 

47.  C.  nodosus  -ScA/o^. 

48.  C.  Cistii  Brongn. 

Also  British. 


OAPB   BRETOV. 

f^»\Pe     Breton,     N 
Scotia. 

'  Nova  Scotia. 
I%"ti.  .Jo,,..n,  ^„^., 

Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 

Pictou.andSonthJoff. 
gine,  Nova  Scotia. 

Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 


171 


OVft 


if! 


lathurst,  New  Bruns- 
wick. 


lickson's  Mill,  Nova 
Scotia. 


lydney,  Cape  Breton. 


South  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Cape 
Breton. 

$outh  Joggins,  Nova 
Scotia. 


>   U  H 


^i 


*  I       M 


rff 


172 


AGE    OP   OYPSIPEROU3 


Chap.  xxv. 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

Lower  Carboniferous  or  Gypsiferous  Formation  ofJVova  Scotia. 
—  Why  formerly  considered  as  newer  than  the  productive 
Coal. — Determination  of  its  true  Age. — Sections  nearWindsor. 
— Supposed  Reptilian  Footsteps. — Section  on  the  Shubena- 
cadie. — Large  Masses  of  Gypsum. — Their  Origin,— Volcanic 
Action  contemporaneous  with  JVova  Scotia  Coal  Measures. — 
Limestone  with  Marine  Shells. — Table  of  Organic  Remains 
of  the  Carboniferous  Limestone  of  JSTova  Scotia  and  Island  of 
Cape  Breton. 


i 

.SI 

i 


I  ^ 


The  productive  coal-measures  near  Minudie,  de- 
scribed in  the  last  chapter,  may  be  regarded  as  the 
middle  of  the  carboniferous  series  of  Nova  Scotia ; 
while  the  strata  above  them,  including  the  beds  with 
Modiola,  h,  i  (fig.  19,  p.  151),  and  the  sandstones  and 
shales  farther  to  the  south,  in  the  same  region,  to- 
gether with  a  corresponding  series  near  Pictou,  and 
the  lower  sandstone  of  Prince  Edward's  Island,  as- 
certained by  Mr.  Dawson  to  contain  coal-plants,  may 
be  all  classed  as  the  Upper  Carboniferous  division,  in 
which  no  seams  of  coal  have  yet  been  found.  Lastly, 
we  may  regard  an  enormous  mass  of  red  and  brown 
sandstones  and  red  marls,  the  lower  portions  of  which 
include  beds  of  gypsum,  and  limestones  charged  with 
marine  shells  and  corals,  as  the  Lower  Carboniferous 
or  gypsiferous  series.  In  this  division  grits  and 
shales,  with  some  true  coal  plants  and  some  thin 
seams  of  impure  coal  are  occasionally  met  with. 

Before  my  visit  to  Nova  Scotia,  the  group  last 
mentioned  had  been  considered,  chiefly,  I  believe, 


In "'  I 


Chap.  xxv. 


8TOATA   OP  NOVA  SCOTM. 


173 


from  its  resemblance  to  .!,„ 
above  the  coal  in  Europe  a.  T"'  "^  "«"■'' 
"on  in  Nova  Scotia     M^  I  '      "P'*™°»'fi'™a. 
excursion  in  1841  to  tlie  WinT^"",'-'"  *''  '^"^  '>™'' 
l-eds  are  greatly  disturbed  h!tT  f""''  "^'"^  ""e 
'»  collect  some'^  of  the  most     h    '!  ""'•''  ""»  «>"« 
these,  when  submitted  to"  vllKf"'"  '""^"■''•-  «»d 
(to  M.  de  Vemeuil  amonrotf  f '  P"'""""'''"S'^'' 
confirm  the  opinion  p^vfouj!?' ''''"  "'°"S'« '» 
strata  w„,  „^„^^  thaHte  toa,     Tr''  """  ""^ 
should  at  first  have  arrived  a.  ,h         ?"'  geologists 
no  one  who  is  aware  how  „,  f'""  ™"  '"''P™* 

Magnesian  limestone  ani  c„ 7  "^  ""=  '■°''''»  "'<»»■ 
or  Who  studies  the  it  g  ven  a  '  "r ''''  T''  ""'-' 
^f  species  both  of  shells™^  fro' T'""''  ^^«- 
Identical  or  closely  allied  .r,M,      ""  ^"^  Scotia. 

Magnesian  limestone  forms  are  °""  ^"""'^"^ 
these  considerations  mv  fr  '  "^./''"'"^'•ated.  By 
'■"duced.in  his  ZiZlTL^'-  *^"*-«-a^ 

g'cal  Society  of  Lond^nl'^fslf,:  '°  ""'  "'"-^ 
gypsiferous  rocks  of  Nova  s    .  P''»nounce  the 

■"  age  of  the  Permian  group  ^T  "  "'%^1"'-a'ents 
'Pection  of  the  country  nTarW    ^    ""•    ^^  ""-^t  in- 
examination  of  tClm       ^T'*^'"-.  Allowed  by  an 
'he  last  Chapter,  led  m  t"a"""*«'  "-"M  in 
ened  by  discussions  Xm"  rT":  r*'  ^"•«"«"- 
-ey,  and  Mr.  J.  W.  Dawf  Lf  p?  ^™""  "^ ^Xd- 
explored  the  cliffs  of  the Tst  R;       °"'  "'"•  """""  ' 
hion  Mines,  near  Pictou     r  ,h         ''  '°'"''  "''  ">"  Al- 
in  company  with  Me«r.  n       ^''''""'ned  with  care. 

fine  sec«onlid  open  t^fecirT.'""'  "™-"'  '"o 
«  "ver  which  intersects  Not  gt-«  fuhenaoadie. 

north,  cutfing  through  th.  f  *  '"""  '""'h  to 

«    "rough  the^gyp„ferous  strata  for  a 


;  () 


I    ii 


1  I 


HM 


174 


AGE   OF   GYPSIFEROUa 


Chap.  xxv. 


distance  of  twenty  miles.  Lastly,  I  had  an  opportu- 
nity of  studying  at  my  leisure  in  London  the  fossils 
collected  from  various  localities,  and  I  had  then  no 
longer  any  hesitation  in  announcing  to  the  Geological 
Society  my  conviction,  that  the  gypsiferous  strata 
were  older  than  the  productive  coal-measures,  whether 
of  the  South  Joggins  or  of  Pictou.  I  also  stated  at 
the  same  time  my  opinion  that  I  considered  them  as 
constituting  a  lower  member  of  the  Carboniferous 
group,  containing  fossil  plants  of  the  coal,  with  shells 
and  corals  of  the  carboniferous  limestone. 

Mr.  Richard  Brown,  after  our  meeting  at  the  Al- 
bion Mines  in  1842,  kindly  undertook,  at  my  request, 
to  make  a  re-examination  of  part  of  Cape  Breton,  and 
the  result  was  published  in  a  letter,  dated  October  20, 
1843,  addressed  to  me,*  in  which  this  experienced 
observer  declared  that  he  had  been  able  "  to  confirm 
my  views  as  to  the  relative  age  of  the  coal  and  gyp- 
sum,*'  and  that  the  gypsiferous  strata  of  Cape  Breton, 
agreeing  in  character  with  those  of  Nova  Scotia, 
were  inferior  in  position  to  the  productive  coal-meas- 
ures of  Sydney.  Mr.  Dawson  also,  soon  after  my 
visit,  published  several  memoirs  on  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Pictou  and  the  northern  parts  of  Nova  Sco- 
tia, in  which  he  adopted  and  extended  the  same  views. 
Mr.  Logan,  after  seeing  my  fossils  and  sections,  and 
examining  in  1844  the  cliffs  near  Minudie,  and  at  the 
South  Joggins,  which  he  had  not  seen  on  his  first  visit 
to  Nova  Scotia,  communicated  to  me  his  opinion  that 
the  gypsum  and  accompanying  marine  limestones  (in 
which  he  found  several  of  the  characteristic  fossils  of 

*  See  **  Quaiterly  Journal  of  the  Geological  Society  of  London," 
No.  ).,  p.  23. 


m 


Chap.  xxv. 

id  an  opportu- 
idon  the  fossils 
1  had  then  no 
the  Geological 
)siferou8  strata 
asures,  whether 
1  also  stated  at 
sidered  them  as 
e  Carboniferous 
coal,  with  shells 
stone. 

eeting  at  the  Al- 
t,  at  my  request, 
Cape  Breton,  and 
3ated  October  20, 
this  experienced 
>  able  "to  confirm 

the  coal  and  gyp- 
a  of  Cape  Breton, 
of  Nova  Scotia, 
[uctive  coal-meas- 
so,  soon  after  my 
►n  the  neighbour- 
irts  of  Nova  Sco- 
.dthe  same  views. 
'  and  sections,  and 
.inudie,  and  at  the 
|en  on  his  first  visit 

je  his  opinion  that 

,rine  limestones  (in 

tcteristic  fossils  of 

L  Society  of  London," 


Chap.  xxv. 


STRATA    OF    NOVA    SCOTIA. 


175 


Windsor),  and  the  red  sandstones  near  Miimdie,  wrre 
older  than  the  productive  coal-measures.  Dr.  Ges- 
ner,  however,  has  not  abandoned  the  opinion  at  which 
he  had  previously  arrived  on  this  point,  having  re- 
cently, in  a  letter  addressed  to  the  President  of  the 
Geological  Society,  and  read  May,  1845,  declarrd 
his  belief  that  the  true  order  of  superposition  is  not 
as  I  have  represented  it,  and  that  other  gei  log  std 
have  been  misled  by  me. 

As  this  question  affects  the  geological  structure  of 
a  large  portion  of  Nova  Scotia,  I  shall  give  a  brief 
outline  of  the  data  which  favour  the  classification  I 
have  proposed.  In  the  first  place,  I  found  every- 
where that  the  gypsiferous  formations  were  much 
more  disturbed  than  those  strata  which  I  have  called 
the  Middle  and  Upper  coal-measures,  and  that  their 
outcrop  was  always  nearer  to  the  region  occupied  by 
the  older  rocks,  whether  Silurian  or  Metamorphic. 
Thus,  for  example,  if  we  pass  from  the  granitic  moun- 
tains and  older  slates  of  the  Cobequid  Hills  to  the 
coal  of  the  South  Jogging,  we  find  the  gypsum  and 
limestone  nearest  the  Hills :  or,  if  we  descend  the 
East  River,  we  pass  from  the  Silurian  strata,  cross 
the  region  in  which  limestones  and  gypsums  occur, 
and  then  come  to  the  coal-measures  of  the  Albion 
Mines.  Mr.  Richard  Brown  has  shown,  in  the  Me- 
moir above  cited,  that  the  same  arrangement  holds 
good  in  Cape  Breton.  Secondly,  the  regular  dip  of 
all  the  beds  seen  near  Minudie  (see  section  abovo»s 
p.  151)  would  carry  the  strata  to  which  the  limestone 
and  gypsum  are  subordinate  under  the  workable  coal 
of  the  South  Joggins.  Thirdly,  geologists  before  and 
since  my  visit,  who  have  carefully  examined  the  East 


fc  J 


'     1  .. 

\  : 


170 


LOWKtt    CA«BONlFEROU»   STRATA.     CuAP.  XXV 


I!     i     i: 


I  1 


River,  south  of  Pictou,  including  Mr.  Logan,  are 
agreed  that  the  sandstones  and  marine  Hmestontts, 
some  of  them  having  an  oolitic  structure,  occurring 
to  the  south  of  the  Albion  Mines,  are  older  than  the 
coal  of  those  mines.  Now  I  found  that  most  of  the 
fossils  of  those  limestones  agreed  with  shells  and 
corals  obtained  by  me  in  the  limestones  near  Wind- 
sor, or  in  those  of  the  Shubenacadie,  accompanying 
the  principal  masses  of  gypsum.  Fourthly,  both  in 
the  Windsor  district,  and  on  the  Shubenacadie,  I 
found  an  intimate  association  between  strata  contain- 
ing mountain  limestone  fossils,  masses  of  gypsum, 
and  coal  grits,  with  Sigillaria  and  Lepidodendron, 
but  no  seams  of  pure  coal  in  this  part.of  the  series. 
Fifthly,  I  observed  that,  in  the  Pictou  region,  as  well 
as  at  the  South  Joggins,  the  strata  which  I  class  with 
Mr.  Dawson  as  the  Upper  coal-measures,  although 
several  thousand  feet  thick,  and  respecting  the  posi- 
tion of  which  above  the  productive  coal  there  is  no 
question,  contain  no  marine  limestones,  or  great 
masses  of  gypsum.  Sixthly,  there  is  a  formation  of 
unconformable  red  sandstone  without  fossils,  which 
appears  on  the  Salmon  River  six  miles  above  Truro, 
lying  on  the  edges  of  the  inclined  Carboniferous  strata. 
In  this  series  of  beds  no  limestone  with  marine  shells 
or  gypsum  have  been  discovered. 

In  illustration  of  the  first  of  these  points,  namely, 
that  the  gypsiferous  rocks  occur  nearest  to  the  older 
formations,  I  may  cite,  in  addition  to  the  Minudie  and 
East  River  sections  already  adverted  to,  the  structure 
of  the  first  country  which  I  observed  near  Windsor. 
I  saw,  for  example,  the  gypsum  near  the  Halifax  Road 
almost  in  contact  with  the  old  slates  of  the  Ardoise 


T! 


I'A. 


Chap,  xxv 


« I 


Chap.  xxv.     supposed    REPTILIAN    FOOTSTEPS. 


177 


r.  Logan,  are 
tne  limestones, 
Luve,  occurring 
5  older  than  the 
hat  most  of  the 
;vith  shells  and 
nes  near  Wind- 
,  accompanying 
ourthly,  both  in 
Shubenacadie,  1 
;n  strata  contain- 

isses  of  gypsum* 
i  lepidodendron, 

part  of  the  series, 
ou  region,  as  vrell 
which  1  class  with 

measures,  although 
;specting  the  posi- 
e  coal  there  is  no 
estones,  or   great 
is  a  formation  ot 
lOut  fossils,  which 
^iles  above  Truro, 
irboniferous  strata, 
[with  marine  shells 

Ise  points,  namely, 
tarest  to  the  older 
\o  the  Minudie  and 
ted  to,  the  structure 
led  near  Windsor. 
Lhe  Halifax  Road 

Itcs  of  the  Ardoise 


Hills,  and  afterwards  traced  the  gypsiferous  beds  of 
the  Saint  Croix  River  up  to  their  junction  with  the 
older  slates.  I  also  found,  in  going  southwards  from 
Windsor  to  a  small  tributary  of  the  Avon,  on  which 
is  situated  Snides  Mill,  that  the  gypsiferous  series  in- 
closes, before  its  junction  with  the  older  rocks,  coarse 
sandstones  with  a  seam  of  impure  coal  two  inches 
thick,  also  clay-iron-stone,  and  shales  with  Lepido- 
dendron  elegans,  but  no  strata  resembling  the  pro 
ductive  coal-measures. 

I  consider  the  inclined  and  bent  rocks  near  the 
town  of  Windsor,  consisting  of  soft  red,  yellow,  and 
purple  marls,  with  conformable  beds  of  limestone  and 
gypsum,  as  higher  in  the  series  than  the  coal-grits 
above  mentioned.  In  some  of  these  limestones  of 
Windsor,  one  of  which  having  an  oolitic  texture  oc- 
curs near  the  bridge,  and  another  on  the  farm  of 
Belvidere  on  the  Avon,  the  following  fossils  occur, 
Terebratula  sufflata,  T.  elongate,  two  other  species 
of  Terebratula,  Producta  Martini,  P.  Lyelli  (De  Ver- 
neuil)  Pecten  plicatus,  Avicula,  Modiola,  allied  to  M. 
Pallasi,  Cirrus  spiralis,  Euomphalus  Icevis,  Natica, 
Fenestella  membranacea,  and  Ceriopora  spongites, 
almost  all  of  which  I  afterwards  found  on  the  Shube- 
nacadie, and  some  of  them  on  the  Debert  River  near 
Truro,  associated  with  gypsum,  also  in  strata  on  the 
East  River,  decidedly  lower  than  the  productive  coal- 
measures. 

I  consider  the  highly-inclined  and  curved  strata  of 
Horton  BlufT,  near  Windsor,  as  affording  another  fine 
section  of  the  Lower  Carboniferous  series  associated 
with  the  gypsum.  In  the  cliffs  here  I  found  Lepido- 
dendi^,  and  other  coal  plants,  and  scales  of  fish  of  the 


<;   M 


, 


i  < 


11 


<    ft  Ir 


mL. 


imam 


ttmtu 


178 


SECTION    OF   GYPSIFEROUS   I.OCKS    Chap.  XIV. 


Ii  % 


genera  Holoptichius  and  Paleoniscus,  both  of  them 
common  to  the  English  coal-measures.  Mr.  Logan 
detected  in  the  same  strata  masses  of  concretionary 
limestone,  which  I  had  overlooked,  and  which  are 
interesting,  as  they  contain  the  Terehratula  elongata, 
Avicula,  and  other  marine  fossils  identical  with  those 
of  Windsor.  He  also  found,  in  one  of  the  ripple- 
marked  slabs  of  Horton  what  appear  to  be  the  im- 
pressions of  the  footsteps  of  an  animal,  perhaps  a 
Reptilian,  having  five  claws.  There  are  two  of  these 
tracks,  and  they  resemble  considerably  some  foot- 
prints in  the  New  Red  sandstone  of  England,  but,  as 
they  are  on  a  stratum  containing  fucoids,  and  are  not 
very  sharp  in  their  outline,  like  tracks  formed  above 
water,  and  as  there  is  no  series  of  them,  Mr.  Owen 
does  not  feel  himself  entitled  to  decide  positively  on 
their  reptilian  character.*  Mr.  Dawson  has  also 
found  impressions  resembling  trifid  footsteps  in  several 
parts  of  the  carboniferous  series  of  Nova  Scotia,  in 
ripple-marked  sandstones,  so  sharp  as  to  imply  that 
they  were  not  made  above  water ;  but  I  have  not 
yet  been  able  to  decide  that  any  of  them  belong  to 
vertebrate  animals. 

The  gypsiferous  strata  are  best  disclosed  in  the 
cliffs  which  bound  the  estuary  of  the  Shubenacadie, 
for  a  distance  of  about  14  miles  from  north  to  south, 
or  between  Fort  Ellis  and  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
where  they  are  several  thousand  feet  in  thickness. 


*  Dr.  A.  King  has  lately  published  an  account  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Science  of  Philadelphia,  Nov.,  1844, 
of  footsteps,  referable,  some  of  them  to  birds,  others  to  batrachian 
reptiles,  from  the  true  carboniferous  strata  of  Westmoreland  county, 
Peimsylvania. — Sillinuin'a  Journal,  vol.  xlviii,  p.  343, 1845. 


r.OCKS    Chap.  xxv. 


; 


Chap.  xxv.     ©p 


THE 


The  rapid  tides  of  the  Bay 


SHUBENACJDIE    K.veH. 


170 


of  I 


dermine  and  sweep  awav  2.  rif ^  '^""'"•"ally  un- 
base  of  ,|,oae  clifls,  ^iheT-tll  m   """".  ■'""""■^  »'  'ho 
bo  obscured,  so  ra^  is  I  r'";  """'""  "<""<'  ™°» 
-d  marls,  with  wh.e ,  1  fr'^'^''""""  "''  ">e  soft 
limestones  are  interstratifi  d^'r'"  ""  '°«''ifc.-ous 
'he  beds  on  .he  Sbubena  a  t  .^^7''  ''"''  "' 
east  and  west,  the  strata    "   '     •"  "^""'""'■.'snoaily 
'■"Mod    into  nume^rplTZf  '"-''rr  ''™"  «-^ 
«^^'  and  west,  and  then  pa     If  Z™'''™'    '■™"i"g 
considerable  angle,,  soTneZ  J  u^:?,  ^  '"""'  »' 
some„mcs  to  the  west.  whilT.he?  L         '  """'  "'"' 
in  the  direction  of  their  ,  ii         f    '  "'"'•''  ''^^"''o'l 

By  such  co^piieat'err ::;  th"^V'''-''^"'^- 

been  thrown  into  the  ffre»f„  ,,  '"''""  ''ave 

Root,  a  „,,,  of  gyps^ror  ,T'"'''"-    A'  "••^  % 
-lour  and  no  Jsl'ZlofT',"''^"''''''''' 

»d  Jo-s  a  conspicuous  ^l^ti"'''' ^^P"-" 
and  has  been  followed  -    f  "  """"al  cliff, 

[-  la  miles  'broiiv::  rr^'i7"  ^"''  ^"-^ 

tarnations  of  anhvdrnnc  ^'       ''^''^  ^^  are  al- 

»d  bituminous  i^tZe'^T"  "'"'  ^""''^^  '^e 
strata  which  alternate  Zh  t"'""^  ""'  "'"""^'^d 
are  three  masses  consistinT  'f     i'P'^*-™"^  ^™cs, 
lepidodendra,  and  red tndf,       ""t'"*''"'  ^'■'''«  ^W' 
»a«.e  formation.      „  Ct      '  ™.''"='"  '  '■•^^«^'  '°  "'c 
"-d  I  ..need  the  jut^ction  of  H  r  "  T  *"'•  °""^°'' 
gypsifcrous  beds  vlibleo^^frn'""''^'™"^  "'"'  ">o 
•■'  line  of  fault  a,  ,he  Dr,it,  ^       "^  '"""''' '""  found 
of  'he  fault  wa    il  eve  "  cIT'"''  """  "^  -»" 
>"='  I  do  not  believe  thlt.L  "'"'  "'^  ^>'''»"'»  = 

fo--  i'  has  all  the  apl  ar  nt  el-T""  '"  ''"^''  -"'. 
"al  and  intregral  ZtoTf    .       '""  '"""'  ""  "risi- 
galpait  of  the  stratdied  scries,  formtd 


w 

'  »■ 


;i  I 


^^TP 


I    i 


180 


ORIGIN    OP    OyPSUM. 


Chap,  xxv 


contemporaneously  with  the  beds  of  red  marl  and 
marine  limestone.  If  we  endeavour  to  account  for 
the  origin  of  the  gypsum  by  the  subsequent  conver- 
sion of  carbonate  into  sulphate  of  lime,  we  encounter 
this  difficulty,  that  beds  of  limestone  full  of  fossils 
are  intimately  associated  with  the  gypsum,  and  yet 
have  undergone  no  alteration.  I  saw  nowhere  any 
passage  from  the  one  to  the  other  even  at  points 
where  the  gypsum  and  limestone  alternate.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  are  abundant  proofs  in  various  parts 
of  Nova  Scotia  of  the  intrusion  of  trappean  rocks  of 
contemporaneous  origin  with  the  lower  carboniferous 
strata,  so  that  I  have  little  doubt  that  the  production 
of  gypsum  in  the  carboniferous  sea  was  intimately 
connected  with  volcanic  action,  whether  in  the  form 
of  heated  vapours  (or  stufas),  or  of  hot  mineral  springs, 
or  any  other  kind  of  agency  accompanying  submarine 
igneous  eruptions.  To  the  influence  of  these  latter  I 
also  ascribe  the  remarkable  mineralogical  difference 
between  the  inferior  carboniferous  rocks  of  Nova 
Scotia  and  those  of  the  coal-fields  of  the  United 
States,  which  are  free  from  trappean  rocks. 

The  gypsum  of  Nova  Scotia  when  burnt  is  used 
for  manure,  and  is  shipped  in  great  quantities  for  the 
United  States.  There  arc  many  indications  of  me- 
talliferous ores  in  the  rocks  of  the  Shubenacadie,  and 
the  neighbouring  districts,  and  among  other  places,  I 
observed  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  on  its  left 
bank,  a  limestone  called  the  Black  Rock,  containing 
disseminated  crystals  of  galena  with  one  of  magne- 
sia, copper,  lead  and  cobalt. 

The  limestones  containing  marine  shells  on  the 
Shubenacadie  occur,  1st,  at  a  place  north  of  Rose's 


Chap.  x«v 

red  marl  and 

0  account  for 
quent  convcr- 
^  we  encounter 

1  full  of  fossils 
rpsum,  and  yet 
V  nowhere  any 
even  at  points 
3rnate.    On  the 
in  various  parts 
appean  rocks  of 
er  carboniferous 
t  the  production 
1  was  intimately 
jther  in  the  form 
t  mineral  springs, 
mying  submarine 
,  of  these  latter  1 
logical  difference 

rocks  of  Nova 
s  of  the  United 
[n  rocks. 

len  burnt  is  used 
quantities  for  the 
[idications  of  me- 
jhubenacadie,  and 
,g  other  places,  1 
or  and  on  its  left 
Rock,  containing 
:h  one  of  magnc- 

Inc  shells  on  the 
north  of  Rose's 


Chap  XXV.      MARINIS    CAROONlPKUOUd    FOSSILS. 


181 


Pomt,  about  7i  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  river  ; 
2dly,  at  the  point  called  Anthony's  Nose,  nearly  op- 
posite, in  both  places  near  beds  of  gypsum  ;  3dly,  at 
Admiral's  rock,  four  miles  higher  up  the  river,  on  its 
left  or  western  bank.  One  dark  bed  in  the  latter  lo- 
cality is  made  up  entirely  of  the  broken  stems  of  a 
small  species  of  encrinus.  Some  layers  at  Anthony's 
Nose  are  almost  exclusively  composed  of  a  small 
coral,  Ceriopora  spongites,  Goldf.,  while  in  other  beds 
Productae  are  very  abundant.  The  greater  number 
of  species  are  common  to  the  different  limestones  of 
the  Shubenacadie,  the  district  round  Windsor  and 
that  of  Brookfield,  a  locality  eight  or  nine  miles  to  the 
east  of  Anthony's  Nose,  and  probably  in  the  strike  of 
that  fossiliferous  rock.  For  a  set  of  fossils  from  the 
place  last  mentioned,  enumerated  in  the  list  at  page 
183, 1  was  indebted  to  Mr.  Duncan,  of  Truro.  The 
limestone  of  Gay's  River,  having  many  shells  in  com- 
mon with  the  above-mentioned  rocks,  occurs  near  the 
outcrop  of  the  gypsiferous  formation,  eight  miles 
south  of  Fort  Ellis,  where  the  Shubenacadie  section 
above  alluded  to  terminates,  and  near  which  older 
formations  make  their  appearance. 

In  addition  to  the  places  above-mentioned,  I  also 
discovered  during  my  tour  with  Mr.  Dawson,  to 
whose  active  operations  I  was  much  indebted,  a  series 
of  strata  below  the  bridge  on  the  Debert  River,  thir- 
teen miles  east  of  Truro,  consisting  of  highly-inclined 
beds  of  red  limestone  and  black  slaty  limestone,  red 
sandstone,  and  red  marl,  in  which  a  large  number  of 
the  Windsor  shells  occurred,  together  with  some 
small  bivalves,  and  a  fragment  of  a  Limulus,  or  a 
genus  intermediate  between  Limulus  and  Trilobite, 

VOL.  II.  17 


l.i 


.\ 


i    i  . 


"i  \ 


¥ 


I' 


182 


MARINB   CARBONIFEROUS    FOSSILS         Chap.  XXV. 


f  m 


i  tl 


11: 


resembling  that  of  the  coal-measures  of  Colebrook 
Dale,  figured  by  Mr.  Prcstwich.  We  also  saw  beds 
similiir  to  the  above  in  the  district  of  Onslow,  about 
twelve  miles  N.  E.  of  the  Debert  River  bridge,  where 
there  is  nlso  a  black  slaty  limestone,  with  similar 
small  bivalve  shells  in  it. 

The  annexed  Table  will  show  in  one  view  the 
fossils  of  the  various  localities  of  the  gypsiferous 
limestone  of  Nova  Scotia,  together  with  a  few  others 
from  Cape  Breton,  decidedly  of  the  same  formation, 
which  I  received  i'rom  Mr.  Richard  Brown  and  Mr. 
James  Dawson.  Mention  is  made  in  the  Table  of 
the  geological  position,  when  known,  of  the  same 
species  in  other  countries.  I  am  indebted  to  M.  de 
Verneuil  for  the  determination  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  shells.  On  considering  this  Table  we  shall  not 
hesitate  to  pronounce  the  gypsiferous  formation  of 
Nova  Scotia  to  be  a  member  of  the  carboniferous 
group,  instead  of  the  triassic  or  magnesian  lime- 
stone formation,  to  both  of  which  it  had  been  seve- 
rally conjectured  to  belong.  The  presence  of  the 
genera  Orthoceras,  represented  by  two  species,  the 
Nautilus  and  Conularia,  the  Limulus  or  Trilobite,  and 
the  Cyathophyllum  are  opposed  to  the  opinion  that 
the  beds  are  newer  than  the  coal.  The  following 
species  are  either  identical  or  scarcely  distinguish- 
able from  well  known  mountain  limestone  fossils ; 
Enomphalus  lajvis,  Pileopsis  vetustus,  Pecten  plicatus, 
Isocardia  unioniformis,  Phil.  Producta  Martini,  P. 
Scotica  ?  The  Ceriopora  spongiles  also  occurs  in 
the  mountain  limestone  in  Ireland  ;  and  the  coral 
which  has  been  compared  to  Retepora  Jlustracea  of 
the  magnesian  limestone  is  not  the  same,  but  more 


3        Chap.  xxv. 


Chap,  xxv 


OF    NOVA    SCOTIA. 


163 


of  Colebrook 
also  saw  beds 
Onslow,  about 
bridge,  where 
,  with  similar 

one  view  the 
he  gypsifi^rous 
ith  a  few  others 
ame  formation, 
Brown  and  Mr. 
in  the  Table  of 
n,  of  the  same 
iebted  to  M.  de 
.  greater  part  of 
ble  we  shall  not 
3US  formation  of 
le  carboniferous 
nagnesian  lime- 
had  been  seve- 
presence  of  the 
wo  species,  the 
or  Trilobite,  and 
the  opinion  that 
The  following 
cely  distinguish- 
mestone  fossils; 
,  Pecten  plioatus, 
icta  Martini,  P. 
Is  also  occurs  in 
and  the  coral 
^ra  Jlustracen  of 
same,  but  more 


nearly  allied  to,  if  not  identical  with  Frnestelia  inem- 
branacea  of  the  mountain  limestone,  according  to 
Mr.  E.  Forbes.  The  abundance  of  this  coral  and 
three  shells,  namely,  Terehratula  elongata,  Modiola 
allied  to  M.  Pallasi,  and  Avicula  antiqua,  brought  hy 
Mr.  Logan  from  Windsor,  first  led  to  the  presumption 
that  the  gypsiferous  beds  were  newer  than  coal ; 
but  M.  de  Verneuil  now  informs  me  that  T.  elongata 
has  also  been  found  in  the  mountain  limestone  of 
Yorkshire.  The  other  genera  mentioned  in  the 
Table  accord  well  with  the  Carboniferous  fuana,  a 
result  which  we  might  expect  from  the  association 
before  mentioned  of  the  Gypsiferous  marine  Lime- 
stone with  sandstone  and  shales,  containing  Lepido- 
dendron  elegans.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  agreement 
of  species  from  various  and  often  distant  localities  is 
quite  as  great  as  could  have  been  expected,  when 
we  consider  the  small  number  of  the  fossils  hitherto 
obtained. 

LIST  OF  FOSSILS  OF  THE  LOWER  CARBONIFEROUS  OR 
GYPSIFEROUS  FORMATION  OF  NOVA  SCOTIA  AND 
CAFE   BRETON. 


NAMES   OF   FOSSILS. 

1.  Trilobite  or  Limulus. 

2.  Cypris  or  Cytherina. 

3.  C .     Second  species. 

4.  Nautilus. 

Allied   to  N.   Leplayi,  Demidoff, 


LOCALITIES. 


Debert    River,     near 
v-.Truro. 

South     Joffgins    and 
Pictou,>^va  Scotia. 

South  Joggins. 


Brookfield,  Nova  Sco- 
tia. 


M 


'i  ! 


if 

1 


11 

'i  I 


■I 


I 


■i: 


T 


i         ' 
I 


:!•'  m 


I  fi 


IM 


LIST   OF    FOBHIL8    OF 


ChAF.  XXV, 


NAME   or    rOVHILM. 


and  to  N.  bidorHntus.,  Fischor. 
(Oryctol.  of  War«aw.)  A  fossil 
of  tlie  Mountain  Limestone  of 
Euro|)e. 

5.  Cyrtoccras. 

A  genus  not  known  above  the 
coal. 

6.  Orthoccras. 

Analogous  to  O.  Gesneri,  Mar- 
tin, with  longitudinal  strim,  and 
with  the  syphon  between  the  centre 
and  the  border. 

7.  O . 

Second  species.  Larger  and  dif- 
ferent, but  specimens  imperfect. 

8.  Conularia. 

New  spepies,  distinct  from  C. 
quadriscula(6,  by  size,  distance  of 
stria;,  and  other  characters. 

9.  Littorina? 

Analogous  to  a  Permian  species. 

10.  Cirrus  spiralis  (or  C.  rotun- 

datus  r) 

11.  Enomphalus  Iccvis. 

A  fossil  also  of  the  Devonian 
and  Carboniferous  formations  of 
the  Eiffel. 

12.  Natica. 

New  species,  like  N.  plicistria, 
but  smaller ;  found  also  by  De 
Verneuil  in  the  Permian  rocks  of 
Russia. 

13.  Cypricardia. 

New  species,  (aff.  C.  transversa) 
/■      fossil  in  the  mountain  limestone  of 
Belgium. 


LOCAI.ITIKI. 


Windsor,  Nova  Scotia. 


Drookfleld. 


Windsor. 


Brookfield,  and  Gut  of 
Canso,Capo  Breton. 


Gay's  River. 
Windsor. 

Windsor. 


Windsor    and    Gray's 
River,  Nova  Scotia. 


Windsor. 


LOCALITIM. 


ind8or,Nova  Scotia. 


Chap.  x.v.    movrffAiN  LiMF.roNr    sov. 

NAMR    ftf    r«Ml|,8.  , 

IJ       T  I  '•OCAMTIKN 

liiiiMlorie  «»'l»iiifero,»l 

16.  Cnrdiomorplm  Archiacauu.      W,„,|,„, 

i«.  Uivalvo.  , 

,  Numerous  iinnre8fiioi.«  „«  ^*''?*"*  ?'''*""  «nd  <>»- 

jJotenninabJe,  con^no    y*""''"""^      r,'"^l>iHtrict,  Nova 
JocaJities.         *-"""»""   to  Hevemj|     Hcotia.  * 

17.  Cuculloja. 

New   snocipa     /„«•    ^      .         P^'indsor. 
/•A;/.)       '^"'^     ('^^'    C.    obtusa 

18.  Modio/a  (nfl:  M.  Pallasi)         L-  ^ 

Like  one  in  Pom.      T^'  ^'"t"""'    «rookfieId 

of  Russia.         ^'''""'^"  formation       and  Gay's  Rh"r. 

'0-  M.  A  second  species.  L„  .  „. 

2«.AvicuIaantiqua^W  '      '"' 

In  Zechstein  of  Europe.  '^\^.  Shubenacadie  and 

21.  A W  8  River. 

New  species  allied  to  th^  ^^^^'^  ^'^er. 

coding,  but  more  g!bW         ^'' 

22.  A , 

With  fortyfive  narrow  ribs. 

23.  A . 


24  &  25.  A. 

Two  other  species. 
26.  Pecten  plicatus. 
Or  very  analogous. 

''^^'  ^' (orAvicuIa). 

Smooth.  ' 

28.  p. 

New  species. 


Debert  River. 

Debert  River. 
Windsor. 


K'nt«'^    Brookfield, 
and  Shubenacadie. 

Debert  River. ' 
Brookfield. 


Ill 


M  I/, 


'tfr  ti; 


17* 


il 


■I'  W'' 


nl;' 


186 


29.  P 


LIST   OF    FOSSILS   OF 


Chap.  xxv. 


NAME    OF    FOSSILS. 


New  species,  allied  to  P.  gra- 
nosus,  found  in  the  carboniferous 
limestone. 

30.  Terebratula  elongata  Schlot. 

Occurs  in  the  Zechstein  in  Eu- 
rope, and  in  the  mountain  limestone 
of  Yorkshire. 

31.  T.  sufflata. 

(^uccre.  Gibbous  variety  of  pre- 
ceding, De  Verneuil. 


32.   T 


Small,    like    T. 
sinus. 


diodonta    with 


33.  T 


With  one  fold  in  the  sinus. 

31.  T . 

New  Species. 

35.  Terebratula. 

New  species,  with  sinus  reaching 
very  nearly  to  the  beak,  very  like 
one  described  by  Von  Buch,  as  T. 
canidea. 

36.  Spirifer  glaber. 

Fossil  of  mountain  limestone  and 
Zechstein  of  Europe. 

37.  S.  cristatus  ? 

Fossil  of  English  magnesian 
limestone. 

38.  S.  Minimus  Sow. 

Or  new  species  ?  A  fossil  of  the 
Permian  of  Russia. 

39.  S.  octoplicatus. 

Silurian  of  Europe  ? 


LOCALITIES. 

Shubenacadie. 


Windsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacad  ie,  Gay 's 
River,  Debert  Ri- 
ver, and  Cape  Bre- 
ton. 

Windsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacadie,  and 
Debert  River. 

Debert  River. 


Windsor  and  Shube- 
nacadie. 

Windsor. 


Brookfield. 


East  River  of  Pictou, 
and  Cape  Breton. 


Windsor. 


Windsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacadie,  and 
Debert  River. 

Windsor. 


kVindsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacad  ie,  Gay 's 
River,  Debert  Ri- 
ver, and  Cape  Bre- 
ton. 

Windsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacadie,  and 
Debert  River. 

[)ebert  River. 


Windsor  and  Shube- 
nacadie. 


East  River  of  Pictou, 
and  Cape  Breton. 


Windsor,  Brookfield, 
Shubenacadie,  and 
Debert  River. 


NAMES  OF  FOSSILS. 

40.  Producta  Martini 

41.  P.  concinna,  Sow. 

42.  P.  Lyeili  Z?e  Verneuii. 

characteristic   fossil  n5^.^^ '"'''* 
carboniferous  fonnlon    '^"  ^''''"' 
43.  Producta  Scotica. 

Smaller  than  Eurooean    if  •  i 

^^'  P-  Spinosa  Sow. 

45.  P.  antiquata  de  Koninck. 

<-oa]-measures,  Europe. 

46.  Encrinus. 

47.  FenesteJJa     membranacea  ? 

P/d^T'^  "^•^nibranacea; 
^^Carboniferous     hWstone,     Eu- 
48.  Cempa^spon^.!^     Gol.fuss. 

49.  Favosites  ramosa  ? 

50.  CyathophylJum. 


LOCALITIES. 

Windsor,    Brookfield, 
^hubenacadie,  East 

Cape  Breton. 


V\2ndsor,nortonBlufl^ 

,     ^^!"l>enacadie,Gay'8 
River,  Debert  rL 

?5    Alinudie,     and 
^ape  Breton. 

Windsor,    Brookfield, 
S  uibenacadie,  Eas 

River  of  Pictou,  and 
vape  Breton. 

Cape  Breton. 


Brookfield. 

Shubenacadie,       and 
i!.ast  R.ver,  Pictou. 

X  «'^,  Brookfield, 
the     Shubenacadie, 


Windsor  and   Brooke 
held. 


Shubenacadie: 
Cape  Breton. 


^(' 


r  ji 


if 


188 


FROGRESS   OF   NOVA   BCOTIA.        Chap.  ZZVI. 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

Progress  and  Resources  of  J\'ova  Scotia. — Highland  Settlers.-^ 
Timber  Duties. — Cobequid  Hills. — Conflagration  of  Forests. — 
Albion  Mines. — Humming  Birds. — Estuary  of  the  Shuben- 
acadie. — Stakes  cut  by  Beavers. — Promotion  of  Science. — 
Social  Equality. — JVova  Scotians  "  going  home." — Return  to 
England. 


f  Mv 


The  day  after  my  arrival  in  Nova  Scotia,  a  fellow- 
passenger  in  the  coach  from  Halifax  to  Windsor,  a 
native  of  the  country,  and  who,  from  small  begin- 
nings, had  acquired  a  large  fortune,  bore  testimony 
to  the  rapid  strides  which  the  province  had  made, 
within  his  recollection,  by  deploring  the  universal 
increase  of  luxury.  He  spoke  of  the  superior  sim- 
plicity of  manners  in  his  younger  days,  when  the 
wives  and  daughters  of  farmers  were  accustomed  to 
ride  to  church,  each  on  horseback  behind  their  hus- 
bands and  fathers,  whereas  now  they  were  not  con- 
tent unless  they  could  ride  there  in  their  own  car- 
riage. 

In  spite  of  the  large  extent  of  barren  and  siliceous 
soil  in  the  south,  and,  what  is  a  more  serious  evil, 
those  seven  or  eight  months  of  frost  and  snow  which 
crowd  the  labours  of  the  agriculturist  into  so  brief  a 
season,  the  resources  of  this  province  are  extremely 
great.  They  have  magnificent  harbours  and  fine 
navigable  estuaries,  large  areas  of  the  richest  soil 
gained  from  the  sea,  vast  supplies  of  coal  and  gypsum, 
and  abundance  of  timber. 


CiOTlA.      Chap.  xxvi. 


Chap.  xxvi. 


HIGHLAND   SETTLERS. 


189 


!<.«  Unaed  State,  at  tt  ZolfT' T':  "'''  '""" 
independence.  The  picture  ,h!  !  <''^<=laiali„„  „f 
fonary  condition,  wan  of  c,e' 2  tT.  "'  ""^  ^"'- 
■•ance  of  some  of  the  Hixrl,!  j  .^'  ""<'  'gno- 
Nova  Scotia  and  Cane  1^  ?  """'"'•  '"  P""'  "f 
and  often  so  highly  coonrenil"  '"— /?-g. 
They  were  described  to  me  »?  '^  ""'"''■'S- 

cleared  ground  year  aft^- T       "'"PP""?  ""o  newly 

«'«  'he  dung  of  tC  tse!Z7\T  ""'""™«  ''• 
round  their  doors  a„w  h  ^  ■""""  accumulated 
tolerable  nuisar;  ntTar'  TV  ""="••  »  '»■ 
'heir  log-cabins  and  r;moCdT'''"f'^ ''""''<'  -io™ 
»overal  of  their  more  C^„J "" '"  "  •«^'»'=o.  till 
cart  away  the  dung  for  a  Zlf  r"^"""""  "«"'-'^«'' '» 
a  time,  when  the  H,Vht,nr  ''"^™"°"-    After 

which  the  manur  waf  p„,  t^  '^"'"''''^  '^'^  -  'o 
removed  it  to  execute  .hot  I  ^  ''"'""*''  "'"'«'  ^ho 
■•"formants  though" 'ha.  tht  1™'""°"^''^  '  '»»' -r 
occur  to  some  of  the  next  i^  ""s'"   P^^'^'r 

"■atenal  to  their  ownSs^'"'™"""  '"'''PP'^'"^  '"« 

o/thf  t^lt'rut'trh"^  ™  '"^  P^^^™'  ^-^'c 
g'oat  was  my  sulse  t„  fi 'h  T  '"  Canada,  and 
™all  proprietors,  or  th,,  ol^     *"  .""'J""'^  "'^  ">e 
and  success  the  strenwh  of       '"  "'"  P''o«Pority 
regretting  that  the  mofhj,     '  ""*  ""'""y  consists; 
much  in  their  fevour     Thr""'?  u'''  '«^'"'«^<'  ^o 
capitalists  and  shinow^e.       ''  '""^  """  °  ""^w  'arge 
«-s  (some  ot  .twr  St:i*'"'''«  ^- 
over.speculation),and  that  .Z      ,""«,"»'"'  again  by 

^«-"chmerchl^^:;XtL:rtt7a::f 


i  ! 


■■•  I 


^;!- 


r? 
i 


\  !! 


'^11  ii 


■Mr 
)  if;' 


190 


TIMBER   DUTIES. 


Chap.  zzvi. 


a  host  of  small  farmers,  who  could  never  so  effectively 
plead  their  cause  to  the  Government.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  labourers  engaged  during  the  severe 
winter,  at  high  pay,  to  fell  and  transport  the  timber  to 
the  coast,  became  invariably  a  drunken  and  improvi- 
dent set.  Another  serious  mischief  accrued  to  the 
colony  from  this  traffic :  as  often  as  the  new  settlers 
reached  the  tracts  from  which  the  wood  had  been  re- 
moved, they  found,  instead  of  a  cleared  region,  ready 
for  cultivation,  a  dense  copsewood  or  vigorous  under- 
growth of  young  trees,  far  more  expensive  to  deal 
with  than  the  original  forest,  and,  what  was  worse,  all 
the  best  kinds  of  timber,  fit  for  farm  buildings  and 
other  uses,  had  been  taken  away,  having  been  care- 
fully selected  for  exportation  to  Great  Britain.  So 
that,  while  the  English  are  submitting  to  pay  an  en- 
hanced price  for  timber  inferior  in  quality  to  that  of 
Norway,  the  majority  of  the  colonists,  for  whom  the 
sacrifices  are  made,  feel  no  gratitude  for  the-  boon. 
On  the  contrary,  they  complain  of  a  monopoly  that 
enriches  a  few  timber  merchants,  at  the  expense  of 
the  more  regular  and  steady  progress  of  agriculture. 
After  my  visit  to  the  district  of  Windsor,  Cape 
Blomidon,  and  Minudie,  I  went  by  Amherst  to  the 
Cobequid  Hills,  the  nucleus  of  which  consists  of  gra- 
nite. Their  outline,  though  rounded  and  not  pictu- 
resque, formed  a  striking  contrast  to  that  of  the  low, 
long,  flat-topped  and  uniform  ridges,  with  straight 
intervening  valleys,  into  which  the  Cumberland  coal- 
field near  Minudie  is  divided.  On  the  highest  part 
of  the  Cobequid  Hills,  we  crossed  a  fine  wild  forest 
covering  the  granite,  and  then,  on  the  southern  flanks 
of  those  hills,  I  observed  clay-slate  cut  through  by 


Chap.  xxn. 


Chap.  xxvi. 


HUMMING    BIUDg. 


191 


;r  so  effectively 
t.    But,  on  the 
iring  the  severe 
,rt  the  timber  to 
en  and  improvi- 
accrued  to  the 
the  new  settlers 
Dod  had  been  re- 
ed region,  ready 
r  vigorous  under- 
expensive  to  deal 
lat  was  worse,  all 
rm  buildings  and 
having  been  care- 
reat  Britain.    So 
ting  to  pay  an  en- 
I  quality  to  that  of 
ists,  for  whom  the 
tude  for  the  boon, 
a  monopoly  that 
at  the  expense  of 
[ess  o£  agriculture. 
)f  Windsor,  Cape 
jy  Amherst  to  the 
[ch  consists  of  gra- 
ced and  not  pictu- 
ito  that  of  the  low, 
[ges,  with  straight 
.  Cumberland  coal- 
n  the  highest  part 
i  a  fine  wild  forest 
Ithe  southern  flanks 

Lte  cut  through  by 


trap  dikes.  We  then  went  by  Londonderry  to 
Truro  at  the  head  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  and  liom 
thence  took  places  for  Pictou  in  an  open  four-wheeled 
vehicle,  here  termed  a  wagon,  which  carried  the 
mail.  The  road  was  cut  through  an  endless  Ibrest  of 
fir-wood,  parts  of  which  had  lately  sufierod  niiu;li  by 
conflagrations.  These  fires  often  spread  for  leagues 
in  the  summer  season,  and  cause  great  devastation. 
The  more  resinous  species  of  fir,  when  they  have 
been  heated  by  the  burning  of  the  surrounding 
timber,  blaze  up  suddenly  when  the  fire  at  last 
reaches  them,  and  are  enveloped  from  top  to  bottom 
in  brilliant  flames,  presenting  in  the  night  a  most 
splendid  spectacle. 

I  had  arranged  with  Captain  Bayfield,  whom  I  had 
not  seen  for  many  years,  that  we  should  meet  at  Pic- 
tou, and  the  day  after  my  arrival  there,  his  surveying 
ship,  the  Gulnare,  sailed  into  the  harbour.  I  spent  a 
day  on  board  that  vessel,  and  we  then  visited  together 
the  Albion  Mines,  from  whence  coal  is  conveyed  by 
a  railway  to  the  estuary  of  the  East  River,  and  there 
shipped.  Mr.  Richard  Brown,  whose  able  co-opera- 
tion in  my  geological  inquiries  I  have  before  acknow- 
ledged, had  come  from  Cape  Breton  to  meet  me,  and 
with  him  and  Mr.  Dawson  I  examined  the  cliffs  of 
the  East  River,  accompanied  by  the  supeiintendent 
of  the  Albion  Mines,  Mr.  Poole,  at  whose  house  we 
were  most  kindly  received.  Here,  during  a  week  of 
intense  heat,  in  the  beginning  of  August  (1842),  I  was 
frequently  amused  by  watching  the  humming-birds, 
being  able  to  approach  unperceived,  by  aid  of  a  Ve- 
netian blind,  to  within  a  few  inches  of  them,  while 
they  were  on  the  wing.    They  remained  for  many 


f'i 


"  li 


,  1     Z    ■ 


i! 


!  i 


I 


,mmm 


:' 


I    'I 


wm 


102 


BIIUBENACADIG   RIVER. 


Chap.  xxti. 


If 


I     I 


seconds  poised  in  the  air,  while  sucking  the  flowers 
of  several  climbers  trailed  to  the  wall  on  the  outside 
of  the  window,  and  in  this  position  the  head  and  body 
appeared  motionless,  brilliant  with  green  and  gold 
plumage,  and  the  wings  invisible,  owing  to  the  ra- 
pidity of  their  motion.  The  sound  was  somewhat 
like  that  of  our  humming  hawk-moths  or  sphinges, 
but  louder.  When  they  darted  away,  they  seemed 
to  emit  a  flash  of  bright  colour.  Following  them 
into  the  garden,  I  sometimes  saw  them  perched  upon 
the  dry  stakes  on  which  peas  were  trained,  and  there 
plume  themselves.  It  is  wonderful  to  reflect  on  the 
migrating  instinct  which  leads  these  minute  creatures 
from  the  distant  Gulf  of  Florida  to  a  country  buried 
constantly  under  deep  snow  for  seven  or  eight  months 
in  the  year. 

After  leaving  Pictou,  I  made  an  expedition  with 
Mr.  Dawson  to  the  Shubenacadie  (see  above,  p.  139), 
and  at  Truro  we  were  joined  by  Mr.  Duncan,  by 
whose  advice  we  sta/ted  at  an  early  hour  each  morn- 
ing in  a  boat,  after  the  great  tidal  wave  or  bore  had 
swept  up  the  estuary,  and  were  then  carried  ten, 
fifteen,  or  twenty  miles  with  great  rapidity  up  the 
river,  after  which  as  the  tide  ebbed,  we  came  down 
at  our  leisure,  landing  quietly  wherever  we  pleased, 
at  various  points  where  the  perpendicular  clifis  oflTer- 
ed  sections  on  the  right  or  left  bank. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  was  seated  on  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  on  a  steep  sloping  beach  about  ten 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  river,  I  was  warned  by  my 
companion  that,  before  I  had  finished  my  sketch,  the 
tide  might  float  off"  me  and  ♦he  tree,  and  carry  both 
down  to  the  Basin  of  Min os.    Being  incredulous,  I 


Chap.  xxvi. 


Chap.  xxvi.       STAKES  gnawed  by  beavers. 


193 


iing  the  flowers 
11  oil  the  outside 
e  head  and  body 
green  and  gold 
wing  to  the  ra- 
[  was  somewhat 
oths  or  sphinges, 
/ay,  they  seemed 
Following  them 
cm  perched  upon 
trained,  and  there 
I  to  reflect  on  the 
}  minute  creatures 
)  a  country  buried      j 
en  or  eight  months 

in  expedition  with 
see  above,  p.  139), 
)  Mr.  Duncan,  by 
ly  hour  each  morn- 
wave  or  bore  had 
then  carried  ten, 
■at  rapidity  up  the 
led,  we  came  down 
jrever  we  pleased, 
idicular  cliffs  ofier- 

ik. 

leated  on  the  trunk 
jg  beach  about  ten 

[was  warned  by  my 

|hed  my  sketch,  the 
•ee,  and  carry  both 
leing  incredulous,  I 


looked  at  my  watch,  and  observed  that  the  water  re- 
mained nearly  stationary  for  the  first  three  minutes, 
and  then,  in  the  next  ten,  rose  about  three  feet,  after 
which  it  gained  very  steadily  but  more  slowly,  till  I 
was  obliged  to  decamp.  A  stranger,  when  he  is 
looking  for  shells  on  the  beach  at  low  tide,  after  the 
hot  sun  has  nearly  dried  up  the  sandy  mud,  may  well 
be  surprised  if  told  that  in  six  hours  there  will  be  a 
perpendicular  column  of  salt  water  sixty  feet  high  over 
the  spot  on  which  he  stands. 

The  proprietor  of  one  of  the  large  quarries  of  gyp- 
sum on  the  Shubenacadie  showed  me  some  wooden 
stakes,  dug  up  a  few  days  before  by  one  of  his 
labourers  from  a  conRiderable  depth  in  a  peat  bog. 
His  men  were  persuaded  that  they  were  artificially 
cut  by  a  tool,  and  were  the  relics  of  aboriginal  In- 
dians ;  but  having  been  a  trapper  of  beavers  in  his 
younger  days,  he  knew  well  that  they  owed  their 
shape  to  the  teeth  of  these  creatures.  We  meet  with 
the  skulls  and  bones  of  beavers  in  the  fens  of  Cam- 
bridgeshire, and  elsewhere  in  England.  May  not 
some  of  the  old  tales  of  artificially  cut  wood  occur- 
ring at  great  depths  in  peat  and  morasses,  which 
have  puzzled  many  a  learned  antiquary,  admit  of  the 
like  explanation  ? 

I  never  travelled  in  any  country  where  my  scien- 
tific pursuits  seemed  to  be  better  understood,  or  were 
more  zealously  forwarded,  than  in  Nova  Scotia,  al- 
though I  went  there  almost  without  letters  of  intro- 
duction. At  Truro,  having  occasion  to  go  over  a 
great  deal  of  ground  in  different  directions,  on  two  suc- 
cessive days,  I  had  employed  two  pair  of  horses,  one 
in  the  morning,  and  the  other  in  the  afternoon.    The 


m 


ii 


VOL.  II. 


18 


i! 


I 


194 


SOCIAL   EaUALITY. 


CHAr.  XXVI 


i.i'M 


postmaster,  an  entire  stranger  to  me,  declined  to  re- 
ceive payment  for  them,  although  I  pressed  him  to  do 
so,  saying  that  he  heard  I  was  exploring  the  country 
at  my  own  expense,  and  he  wished  to  contribute  his 
share  towards  scientific  investigations  undertaken  for 
the  public  good. 

We  know,  on  the  authority  of  the  author  of  "  Sam 
Slick,"  unless  he  has  belied  his  countrymen,  that  some 
of  the  Blue  Noses  (so  called  from  a  kind  of  potato 
which  thrives  here)  are  not  in  the  habit  of  setting  a 
very  high  value,  either  on  their  own  time  or  that  of 
others.  To  this  class,  I  presume,  belonged  the  driver 
of  a  stage-coach,  who  conducted  us  from  Pictou  to 
Truro.  Drawing  in  the  reins  of  his  four  horses,  he 
informed  us  that  there  were  a  great  many  wild  rasp- 
berries by  the  road-side,  quite  ripe,  and  that  he  in- 
tended to  get  off  and  eat  some  of  them,  as  there  was 
time  to  spare,  for  he  should  still  arrive  in  Truro  by 
the  appointed  hour.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  all 
turned  out,  as  there  was  no  alternative  but  to  wait  in 
the  inside  of  i.  hot  coach,  or  to  pick  fruit  in  the  shade. 
Had  the  same  adventure  happened  to  a  traveller  in 
the  United  States,  it  might  have  furnished  a  good  text 
to  one  inclined  to  descant  on  the  inconvenient  inde- 
pendence of  manners  which  democratic  institutions 
have  a  tendency  to  create.  Doubtless,  the  political 
and  social  circumstances  of  all  new  colonies  promote 
a  degree  of  equality  which  influences  the  manners  of 
the  people.  There  is  here  no  hereditary  aristocracy 
— no  proprietors  who  can  lot  their  lands  to  tenants — 
no  dominant  sect,  with  the  privileges  enjoyed  by  a 
church  establishment.  The  sects  are  too  numerous, 
and  too  fairly  balanced,  to  admit  of  the  possibility  of 


CkA».  XXVI 


Chap.  xxvf. 


NOVA   8C0TIAN8   "OOINO    HOME." 


105 


declined  to  re- 
•essed  him  to  do 
ing  the  country 

0  contribute  his 
s  undertaken  for 

author  of  "Sam 
ymen,  that  some 
L  kind  of  potato 
labit  of  setting  a 

1  time  or  that  of 
longed  the  driver 
IS  fromPictouto 
is  four  horses,  he 
;  many  wild  rasp- 
!,  and  that  he  in- 
\em,  as  there  was 
rrive  in  Truro  by 
5S  to  say  that  all 
ive  but  to  wait  in 
fruit  in  the  shade. 

to  a  traveller  in 
lished  a  good  text 
ttconvenient  inde- 
cratic  institutions 
tless,  the  political 
r  colonies  promote 
Bs  the  manners  of 
iitary  aristocracy 
lands  to  tenants — 
|ges  enjoyed  by  a 
ire  too  numerous, 
the  possibility  of 


such  a  policy ;  and  the  Baptists,  who  predominate 
greatly  in  number  and  position  in  society,  are  oppos- 
ed on  principle  to  all  ecclesiastical  endowments  by 
the  State.  The  influence  of  birth  and  family  is 
scarcely  felt,  and  the  resemblance  of  the  political  and 
social  state  of  things  to  that  in  the  United  States  is 
striking. 

The  longer,  indeed,  that  I  remained  here,  the  larger 
were  the  deductions  I  found  it  necessary  to  make 
from  those  peculiarities  that  I  had  imagined,  during 
my  sojourn  in  the  United  States,  to  be  the  genuine 
fruits  of  a  republican  as  contrasted  with  a  monarchi- 
cal constitution, — of  an  American  as  distinguished 
from  a  British  supremacy.  They  who  lament  the 
increased  power  recently  acquired  by  the  democracy 
in  the  United  States,  ascribe  to  it,  and  I  believe  not 
without  reason,  the  frequent  neglect  of  men  of  the 
greatest  talent  and  moral  worth,  and  the  power 
which  it  gives  to  envy,  concealing  itself  under  the 
cloak  of  a  love  of  equality,  to  exclude  such  citizens 
from  the  most  important  places  of  trust  and  honour. 
In  our  American  colonies,  on  the  other  hand,  we  hear 
complaints  that  very  similar  effects  result  from  the 
habitual  disregard  of  the  claims  of  native  merit,  all 
posts  of  high  rank  and  profit  being  awarded  to  for- 
eigners, who  have  not  their  hearts  in  a  country 
where  they  are  but  temporary  sojourners.  The  late 
revolution  in  our  colonial  system,  obliging  the  respon- 
sible executive  to  command  a  majority  in  the  colo- 
nial parliaments,  must,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  remove  this 
cause  of  dissatisfaction. 

It  is  no  small  object  of  ambition  for  a  Nova  Sco- 
tian  to  "  go  home,"  which  means  to  "  leave  home, 


1 
i 


I'i. 


i\ 


'    ¥ 


1  n 


V 


IM 


VOYAOB   HOMB. 


Chap.  zxti. 


and  see  England."  However  much  his  curiosity 
may  be  gratified  by  the  tour,  his  vanity,  as  I  learn 
from  several  confessions  made  to  me,  is  often  put  to 
a  severe  trial.  It  is  mortifying  to  be  asked  in  what 
part  of  the  world  Nova  Scotia  is  situated — to  be 
complimented  on  "  speaking  good  English,  although 
an  American  " — to  be  asked  '*  what  excuse  can  pos- 
sibly be  made  for  repudiation  " — to  be  forced  to  ex- 
plain to  one  fellow  countryman  after  another  "  that 
Nova  Scotia  is  not  one  of  the  United  States,  but  a 
British  province."  All  this,  too,  after  having  prayed 
loyally  every  Sunday  for  Queen  Victoria  and  the 
Prince  of  Wales — after  having  been  so  ready  to  go 
to  war  about  the  Canadian  borderers,  the  New  York 
sympathisers,  the  detention  of  Macleod  and  any  other 
feud ! 

Nations  know  nothing  of  one  another — most  true 
— but  unfortimately  in  this  particular  case  the  ignor- 
ance is  all  on  one  side,  for  almost  every  native  of  Nova 
Scotia  knows  and  thinks  a  great  deal  about  England. 
It  may,  however,  console  the  Nova  Scotian  to  re- 
flect, that  there  are  districts  in  the  British  isles,  far 
more  populous  than  all  his  native  peninsula,  which 
the  majority  of  the  English  people  have  never  heard 
of,  and  respecting  which,  if  they  were  named,  few 
could  say  whether  they  spoke  Gaelic,  Welsh,  or 
Irish,  or  what  form  of  religion  the  greater  part  of 
them  professed. 

August  18. — We  left  Halifax  in  the  steamship  Co- 
lumbia, and  in  nine  days  and  sixteen  hours  were  at 
the  pier  at  Liverpool.  This  was  the  ninetieth  voy- 
age of  these  Halifax  steamers  across  the  Atlantic, 
without  any  loss,  and  only  one  case  of  detention  by 


Cnat.  xxti. 


Chap.  xxvi. 


RETURN   TO    ENQLAND. 


197 


I  his  curiosity 
nity,  as  I  learn 
,  is  often  put  to 

asked  in  what 
lituatcd— to  be 
iglish,  although 
ixcuse  can  pos- 
be  forced  to  ex- 

another  "that 
id  States,  but  a 
r  having  prayed 
ictoria  and  the 
1  so  ready  to  go 
;,  the  New  York 
)d  and  any  other 

>ther — most  true 
r  case  the  ignor- 
y  native  of  Nova 
1  about  England. 
I  Scotian  to  re- 
British  isles,  far 
peninsula,  which 
lave  never  heard 
irere  named,  few 
lelic,  Welsh,  or 
greater  part  of 

he  steamship  Co- 
n  hours  were  at 

le  ninetieth  voy- 
•oss  the  Atlantic, 

of  detention  by 


putting  back  for  repairs.  As  we  flew  along  in  tho 
railway  carriage  between  Liverpool  and  London,  my 
eye,  so  long  accustomed  to  the  American  landscape, 
was  struck  with  the  dressy  and  garden-like  appear- 
ance of  all  the  fields,  the  absence  of  weeds,  and  the 
neatness  of  the  trim  hedgerows.  We  passed  only 
one  unoccupied  piece  of  ground,  and  it  was  covered 
with  heath,  then  in  full  blossom,  a  plant  which  we 
had  not  seen  from  the  time  we  crossed  the  Atlantic. 
Eight  hours  conveyed  us  from  sea  to  sea,  from  the 
estuary  of  the  Mersey  to  that  stream  which  Pope  has 
styled  "  the  Father  of  the  British  Floods."  What- 
ever new  standard  for  measuring  the  comparative 
size  of  rivers  I  had  acquired  in  my  late  wanderings, 
I  certainly  never  beheld  "  the  swelling  waters  and 
alternate  tides  "  of  Father  Thames  with  greater  ad- 
miration than  after  this  long  absence,  or  was  ever 
more  delighted  to  find  myself  once  more  in  the  midst 
of  the  flourishing  settlement  which  has  grown  up 
upon  his  banks. 


18* 


H 


DESCRIPTION 


Of 


PLATES   AND   MAPS. 


I       il; 


Plate  I. 

Birdts-eye  view  of  the  Falls  of  Niagara  and  adjacent 
country,  coloured  geologically. 

Frontispiece  of  Vol.  I. 

I  HAVE  stated  in  the  second  chapter,  Vol.  I.,  that 
Mr.  Bakewell,  Jun.,  son  of  the  distinguished  geologist 
of  that  name,  gave  me  his  original  coloured  sketches 
of  the  Niagara  district  in  1841.  He  had  previously 
published  an  outline  of  them  in  some  wood-cuts  in 
"  Loudon's  Magazine  "  for  1830,  at  a  time  when  the 
geological  structure  of  the  country  had  not  been 
worked  out  as  it  has  since  been  by  the  State  sur- 
veyors of  New  York.  When  I  visited  the  Falls  of 
Niagara  in  1841, 1  conceived  the  idea  of  combining 
Mr.  Bakewell's  pictorial  view  with  a  correct  geolo- 
gical representation  of  the  rocks  as  determined  by  Mr. 
Hall,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  Falls.  A  copy  of 
the  view  thus  made  I  sent  off  in  the  same  year  to 
the  Geological  Society,  and  exhibited  another  in 
illustration  of  a  lecture  delivered  at  Boston  in  the 
autumn. 


DKBt'RII'TION    OF    PLATES    AND    MAPS. 


100 


A  reference  to  the  section  at  p.  dfi,  Vol.  I.,  nnd 
to  mnp,  PI.  III.,  nnd  to  the  observations  made  at 
pf).  78  and  80,  Vol.  II.,  will  enable  the  reader  to  un- 
derstand the  details  exhibited  in  this  view.  The 
numbers  on  the  right-hand  margin  from  1  to  0 
correspond  with  those  referring  to  similar  colours  in 
the  map  of  the  Niagara  district,  PI.  III.,  Vol.  I. 
p.  30,  in  which  the  usual  position  of  North  and  South 
have  been  reversed,  that  it  might  correspond  with 
the  bird's-eye  view.  In  the  latter.  Lake  Erie  is  seen 
in  the  distance,  or  to  the  South,  and  the  river  Niagara 
flowing  out  of  it.  This  river  at  its  exit  is  about  330 
feet  above  Lake  Ontario,  and  has  a  fall  of  about  one 
foot  in  a  mile  for  the  first  fifteen  miles,  until,  after 
passing  the  larger  or  Grand  Island,  and  approaching 
Gpat  Island,  it  descends  rapidly  about  fifty  feet  in 
less  than  a  mile,  and  is  then  thrown  down  about  165 
feet  perpendicularly  at  the  Falls.  For  the  dimensions 
of  these  and  the  ravine,  see  Vol.  I.,  p.  31.  The  river 
then  flows  for  seven  miles  in  the  ravine,  with  a  fall 
of  100  feet.  The  first  notch  on  the  left  bank  marks 
the  western  side  of  the  whirlpool,  where  the  drift 
occurs,  described  in  Vol.  II.,  p.  78,  as  connected  with 
the  valley  of  St.  David's.  The  next  notch  and  pro- 
jection, half  a  mile  lower  down  on  the  opposite  bank, 
marks  the  site  of  the  Devil's  Hole  (see  map,  PI.  III.) 
where  the  Bloody  Run  enters.  I  have  speculated 
upon  this  indentation,  p.  42,  Vol.  I.,  as  a  spot  where 
there  are  clear  signs  of  the  great  cataract  having  been 
once  situated.  About  four  miles  still  lower  down, 
the  platform  terminates  suddenly  in  the  escarpment, 
at  the  base  of  which  are  seen  the  towns  of  Lewiston 
and  Queenstown,  standing  on  the  Medina  sandstone, 


I 

i 


200 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


No.  6,  which  forms  the  low  ground  extending  for 
about  seven  miles  to  Lake  Ontario,  as  shown  in  the 
map  PI.  III.,  the  river  having  a  fall  of  only  four  feet 
from  Queenstown  to  its  entrance  into  that  lake. 

The  site  of  the  town  of  St.  David's  is  seen  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  bird's-eye  view,  and  I  have 
stated,  at  p.  80,  Vol.  II.,  that  the  opening  here  is  re- 
presented, for  want  of  more  space,  as  of  small  width, 
but  it  is  in  fact  nearly  two  miles  broad  at  its  mouth, 
forming  a  strong  contrast  to  the  narrowness  of  the 
ravine  (about  400  yards  wide)  from  which  the  Nia- 
gara escapes  at  Queenstown.  This  remarkable  dif- 
ference is  doubtless  connected  with  the  entirely  dis- 
tinct mode  of  origin  which  I  have  ascribed  to  the 
two  openings,  that  of  the  Niagara  having  been 
formed  by  the  excavating  power  of  the  river  as  it 
receded,  that  of  St.  David's  by  the  antecedent  denu- 
ding action  of  the  waves  of  the  sea  during  the  up- 
heaval of  the  land. 

The  two  chapters  to  which  this  bird's-eye  view 
principally  refers  are  Ch.  2,  Vol.  I.,  and  Ch.  19, 
Vol.  II. 


i 


Plate  II. 

Geological  Map  of  the  United  States^  Canada^  ^c.^ 
compiled  from  the  State  Surveys  of  the  V,  S.,  and 
other  sources 

Frontispiece  of  Vol.  II. 

The  route  which  I  followed  through  the  United 
States  and  Canada  will  be  found  indicated  by  a 
double  line  or  road,  and  by  a  white  streak  through 


FLATEa    AND    MAPS. 


301 


i  extending  for 
s  shown  in  the 
f  only  four  feet 
that  lake, 
s  is  seen  on  the 
w,  and  I  have 
sning  here  is  re- 
i  of  small  width, 
ad  at  its  mouth, 
rrowncss  of  the 
I  which  the  Nia- 
remarkable  dif- 
the  entirely  dis- 
ascribed  to  the 
ra  having    been 
>f  the  river  as  it 
antecedent  denu- 
si  during  the  up- 

j  bird's-eye  view 
I.,  and  Ch.  19, 


teSf  Canada^  ^c.^ 
of  the  V.  S.y  and 


[)Ugh  the  United 
I  indicated  by  a 
e  streak  through 


the  Ohio  or  Appalachian  coal-field,  and  by  a  dotted 
line  where  I  went  by  water,  on  the  sea  or  the  lakes. 
Section  I.  Authorities. — I  have  given  an  alpha- 
betical list  on  the  map  itself  of  the  principal  authori- 
ties for  the  geological  colouring  of  this  map,  which, 
although  very  imperfect,  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  useful, 
in  conveying  a  general  idea  of  the  distribution  of  the 
principal  groups  of  rocks,  especially  in  that  portion  of 
the  territory  of  the  United  States  in  which  so  many 
admirable  State  surveys  have  been  made  under  the 
direction  of  the  State  governments.  The  manner  in 
which  the  map  has  been  composed,  and  the  relative 
approach  to  correctness  of  its  several  parts,  will  best 
be  understood  by  the  observations  which  I  shall  offer 
on  the  sources  of  my  information,  and  by  my  ex- 
planation of  the  groups  of  rock  represented  by  dif- 
ferent colours. 

Maclure,  William. 
The  earliest  geological  survey  of  America  referred 
to  in  the  construction  of  the  present  map  is  that 
accompanying  Maclure's  "  Observations  on  the  Geo- 
logy of  the  United  States,"  published  at  Phila- 
delphia in  1817.  In  this  map  he  has  represented, 
with  great  general  accuracy,  the  "Alluvial  Plain" 
(see  p.  93,  Vol.  I.),  bordering  the  Atlantic,  and  ex- 
tending from  Long  Island  to  Louisiana  and  Texas. 
This  plain  includes  the  areas  of  the  tertiary  forma- 
tions represented  on  my  map.  Parallel  to  the  Alluvial 
Plain,  Maclure  has  described  the  great  "Hypogene," 
or  "primary"  district  of  the  Atlantic  Slope  (see  p.  93, 
Vol.  I.),  and  has  indicated  its  northern  extension 
over  the  whole  of  New  Hampshire,  and  over  nearly 


P! 


'i     !  4 


I 


202 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


i  ; 


'I 


It 


1 1' 


all  Maine,  Vermont  and  Connecticut ;  he  has  also 
coloured  in  the  detached  mass  occupying  the  northern 
part,  of  the  State  of  New  York,  between  Lakes 
Ontario  and  Champlain.  The  broad  belt  of  "  Pa- 
laeozoic rocks'*  stretching  from  Lake  Champlain 
through  the  Appalachian  ridges  to  the  river  Coosa 
in  Alabama,  and  the  isolated  basin  of  Rhode  Island, 
he  has  represented  under  the  older  epithet  of 
"  Transition."  The  sandstone  of  Connecticut  and 
Pennsylvania,  now  classed  as  New  Red  sandstone,  is 
coloured  by  him  as  Old  Red ;  whilst,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  positive  information  respecting  the  Western 
States,  he  coloured  them  all  as  "  Secondary." 

Bayfield,  H.  W.,  Captain  R.  N. 

The  earliest  contribution  of  this  indefatigable 
explorer  of  the  geological  structure  of  the  northern 
parts  of  America,  is  contained  in  a  paper  on  Lake 
Superior,  published  in  1829  in  the  First  Volume 
of  the  Transactions  of  the  Literary  and  Historical 
Society  of  Quebec.  In  this  memoir  the  position  and 
extent  of  the  sandstone,  and  various  trappean  and 
primary  rocks  which  surround  the  lake  and  compose 
its  numerous  islands,  were  described  from  a  careful 
personal  survey.  The  representation  given  on  my 
map  is  taken  from  a  coloured  copy  laid  down  by 
Captain  Bayfield  for  me. 

Since  1829,  Captain  Bayfield  has  explored  a  great 
part  of  the  Lake  Jind  River  coast  between  Lake 
Superior  and  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  ;  and  in  the 
present  year  he  communicated  to  the  Geological 
Society  of  London  a  paper  "  On  the  Junction  of  the 
Transition  and  Primary  Rocks  of  Canada  and  La- 


PLATES    AND   MAPS. 


203 


;  he  has  also 
ig  the  northern 
etween  Lakes 

belt  of  «  Pa- 
ke Champlain 
he  river  Coosa 

Rhode  Island, 
ler  epithet  of 
onnecticut  and 
ed  sandstone,  is 
list,  in  the  ab- 
ng  the  Western 
Dndary." 

• 

is    indefatigable 
of  the  northern 
paper  on  Lake 
First  Volume 
and  Historical 
;he  position  and 
IS  trappean  and 
ke  and  compose 
1  from  a  careful 
)n  given  on  my 
y  laid  down  by 

explored  a  great 
between  Lake 

snce  ;  and  in  the 
the  Geological 
Junction  of  the 

Canada  and  La- 


brador," in  illustration  of  which  he  presented  an  ex- 
tensive suite  of  fossils  to  the  Society,  and  supplied 
me  with  coloured  maps  of  the  district  in  question. 

On  these  maps  he  has  laid  down  ihe  great  region 
of  hypogene  or  granitic  formations  extending  from 
Labrador  along  the  northern  coast  of  the  Gulf  and 
River  St.  Lawrence  to  the  northern  shores  of  Lakes 
Huron  and  Superior ;  at  intervals  along  this  he 
has  traced  the  oldest  fossiliferous  limestone  (No.  15), 
forming  the  northern  extremity  of  Newfoundland,  the 
island  of  Anticosti,  and  the  Mingan  islands,  the  out- 
lying mass  on  Lake  St.  John,  many  points  on  the 
river  St.  Lawrence,  above  and  below  Quebec,  some 
of  the  Thousand  Isles,  and  thence,  crossing  to  Cabot's 
Head  and  the  Manitoulins,  where  it  appears  to  bend 
southward  across  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Wisconsin 
river. 

From  these  maps  I  have  also  taken  the  coast  of 
Chaleur  Bay,  Gaspe,  the  southern  shore  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  many  points  in  addition  to,  or  con- 
firming the  '  iformation  derived  from  other  sources. 

Featherstonhaugh,  G.  W. 

In  his  "  Tour  in  the  Slave  States,"  Mr.  F.  refers 
to  his  earlier  geological  surveys  made  in  various  parts 
of  the  United  States. 

From  this  work,  and  verbal  communications,  I 
have  obtained  much  valuable  information  respecting 
the  Alleghany  Mountains,  the  Arkansas,  and  other 
Western  territories ;  likewise  in  regard  to  the  line 
of  junction  of  the  Primary  and  Silurian  rocks  on  St. 
Peter's  River,  Missouri,  and  around  the  Ozark  moun- 
tains.    On  Mr.  F.'s  authoritv  I  have  extended  the 


11 ; 


I 


'fll*tim^Aiii^.,-^.i^;^^^ 


204 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


i  .  >\. 


Cretaceous  colour  for  a  considerable  distance  along 
both  banks  of  the  Arkansas  River ;  and  he  informs  me 
that  he  has  seen  the  same  formation  characterised  by 
the  abundance  of  Exogyra  costata  exto'nding  all  the 
way  to  the  sources  of  the  Yellowstone  river  and 
Miscou. 

Conrad,  T.  A. 

Mr.  C.  published  in  1832,  <*  Fossil  Shells  of  the 
Tertiary  Formation  of  North  America,"  in  which 
he  alludes  to  the  extent  of  these  deposits.  He 
has  also  kindly  presented  me  with  a  map  of  Ala- 
bama, in  which,  besides  the  limits  of  the  Primary 
and  Silurian  districts  of  North  Alabama  and  Ten- 
nessee, he  has  traced  out  those  of  a  Lower  Cretaceous 
region  explored  by  him,  extending  from  Tuscaloosa 
and  Montgomery  on  the  north  to  Claiborne  and 
Columbia,  where  it  joins  and  is  covered  up  by  the 
Eocene  tertiary. 

Jackson,  C.  T.  and  Alger,  F. 

A  map  of  the  geology  of  Nova  Scotia  was  pub- 
lished by  these  authors  in  1833,  to  accompany  a 
memoir  communicated  by  them  to  the  American 
Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences,  vol.  i.,  Cambridge ; 
in  which  a  great  portion  of  the  leading  features  of 
the  structure  of  the  country  are  exhibited.  The  fwst 
acxiount  of  their  survey  was  published  in  Silliman's 
Journal  of  Science  for  1828-9. 

Dr.  Jackson  is  also  the  author  of  a  Report  on  the 
Geological  and  Agricultural  Survey  of  Rhode  Island, 
1840.  From  his  map  it  appears  that  the  western 
X)ai*  of  the  State  consists  entirely  of  Primary  rocks. 


yti 


PLATES    AND    MAI'd. 


205 


which  also  form  its  eastern  boundary.  Rhode  Island 
itself,  and  the  bays  and  islands  northwards,  are  co- 
loured as  Greywacke  and  coal,  which  I  have  re- 
presented as  Old  Red  sandstone  and  coal. 

In  1841  and  subsequent  years  Dr.  Jackson  pub- 
lisheA  various  Reports,  succeeded  in  1844  by  one 
large  4to  volume,  entitled  "Final  Report  on  the 
Geology  and  Mineralogy  of  the  State  of  New 
Hampshire."  The  State  consists  entii^jly  of  Hypo- 
gene  and  Metamorphic  rocks.  The  non-fossiliferous 
limestones  of  Haver  Hill  and  Francisca  are  the  only 
additions  which,  owing  to  the  wholesale  grouping  of 
the  rocks  in  the  present  map,  I  have  been  able  to 
make,  beyond  the  single  colour  used  for  the  whole 
State  in  Maclure's  map. 

In  the  years  1837,  1838,  and  1839,  Dr.  Jackson 
published  three  reports  on  the  Geology  of  Maine, 
from  which  it  appears  that  that  great  region  consists 
almost  entirely  of  Hypogene  and  Silurian  rocks.  As 
the  latter  have  not  yet  been  subdivided,  or  referred 
to  their  equivalents  in  other  States,  I  have  coloured 
all  the  fossiliferous  tracts  with  one  tint.   Nos.  10-13. 


V 


f 


I 


Hitchcock,  Edward. 

Professor  Hitchcock  published  his  first  Report  on 
the  Geology  of  Massachusetts  in  1833,  but  the  map 
of  which  I  have  availed  myself,  appeared  in  1841, 
accompanying  a  new  edition  of  his  Report. 

In  this,  the  boundaries  of  the  various  metamorphic 
and  primary  rocks  are  laid  down  in  great  detail. 
The  small  scale  of  my  present  map  only  allows  me 
to  correct  the  general  outline  originally  given  by 
Maclure. 


VOL.  H. 


10 


U 


I)   i 


If 


TZSS/Sh^ 


(    \ 


'i' 


m  1 1 


206 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


Taylor,  R.  C,  F.G.S. 

In  Mr.  Hall's  map  of  the  Middle  and  Western 
States,  published  in  his  Geology  of  New- York,  he 
acknowledges  his  obligation  to  Mr.  Taylor  of  Phila- 
delphia for  a  coloured  map  of  the  Eastern  paft  of 
Pennsylvania,  recording  his  own  observations  pre 
vious  to  the  year  1834.  I  have  adopted  this  part  of 
Mr.  Hall's  map,  and  have  also  before  me  that  of  Mr. 
Taylor,  published  in  1840,  on  which  he  laid  down 
the  position  and  extent  of  the  outlying  coal  basins  on 
the  north-east  of  the  great  Appalachian  coal-field. 

Mr.  Taylor  is  also  the  author  of  models  to  ex- 
plain the  geological  structure  of  some  of  the  ridges 
in  the  Alleghanies  of  Pennsylvania. 

Rogers,  H.  D. 

This  eminent  geologist  published  in  1839,  his  map 
of  the  geology  of  New  Jersey,  the  result  of  a  State 
survey,  of  which  I  have  availed  myself.  Although 
the  Final  Report  and  map  of  Pennsylvania,  con- 
structed during  another  elaborate  survey,  under  the 
direction  of  the  same  geologist,  has  not  yet  been 
published,  and  consequently  was  not  directly  avail- 
able for  the  present  map,  it  is  probable  that  some  of 
the  information  obtained  during  the  Pennsylvanian 
survey,  and  made  public  through  various  Reports, 
has  found  its  way  into  the  channels  to  which  I  have 
been  indebted  in  the  construction  of  my  map. 

Rogers,  W.  B. 

Mr.  Hall  acknowledges  his  obligations  to  Mr. 
Siade,  a  member  of  the  geological  corps  of  the  State 
survey  of  Virginia,  so  ably  conducted  by  Professor 


m 


PLATES    AND   MAPS. 


207 


and  Western 
^ew-York,  he 
lylor  of  Phila- 
astern  pajrt  of 
ervations  pre 
3d  this  part  of 
me  that  of  Mr. 
he  laid  down 
coal  basins  on 
,n  coal-field, 
models  to  ex- 
e  of  the  ridges 


1  1839,  his  map 
jsult  of  a  State 
self.  Although 
nsylvania,  con- 
rvey,  under  the 
s  not  yet  been 
t  directly  avail- 

le  that  some  of 
Pennsylvanian 

arious  Reports, 

o  which  I  have 

my  map. 

gations  to  Mr. 
rps  of  the  State 
d  by  Professor 


W.  B.  Rogers,  tor  the  limits  of  the  formations  in 
Virginia,  on  which  Reports  have  been  published 
from  the  years  1836  to  1840,  by  Professor  R. 

In  regard  to  the  newer  coal  of  Eastern  Virginia, 
the  relation  of  which  to  the  New  Red  sandstone  was 
hinted  at  by  Maclure,  Mr.  Rogers  infers  from  the 
fossil  plants  that  it  is  of  the  age  of  the  Oolite.  See 
Paper  in  Trans,  of  Assoc,  of  Amer.  Geol.,  1842,  p. 
298. 

Owen,  David  Dale,  M.D. 

In  November,  1842,  Dr.  Owen,  the  State  Geolo- 
gist of  Indiana,  communicated  to  the  Geological 
Society  an  important  paper  on  the  Geology  of  the 
Western  States,  with  a  large  suite  of  fossils  and  a 
map,  which  he  most  liberally  gave  me  permission  to 
make  use  of  for  this  work,  without  waiting  for  the 
publication  of  the  original.  His  map  comprises  the 
whole  of  the  Illinois  coal-field,  and  a  considerable 
part  of  the  Ohio  or  Appalachian  coal-field.  It  com- 
prehends indeed  the  geology  of  all  the  Western  States 
watered  by  the  rivers  Ohio,  Wabash,  Illinois,  Rock, 
Wisconsin,  Cumberland,  and  Tennessee,  lying  be- 
tween 35°  and  43°  of  north  latitude,  and  81°  and  91° 
of  west  longitude.  It  includes  the  States  of  Illinois, 
Indiana,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  the  Du- 
buque and  Mineral  Point  districts  of  the  Territories 
of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  The  observations  recorded 
are  the  results  of  numerous  excursions  in  these  prov- 
inces, commenced  in  the  year  1834,  and  continued 
to  1841,  by  Dr.  Owen,  sometimes  alone,  at  others 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Troost  and  Dr.  Locke,  the  State 
geologists  respectively  of  Tennessee  and  Ohio.    The 


! 


i 


i 


ill 


% 


«'jM,i'*«Maai*itoiite^.i,«^^k,^     ,, , 


908 


DESCRIPTION   OF 


territory  under  consideration  occupies  an  area  of 
about  half  a  million  of  square  miles  (Proceedings  of 
Geol.  Soc.  of  London,  November,  1842,  Vol.  iv., 
p.  1),  and  meets  Mr.  Taylor's  Survey  of  the  Penn- 
sylvanian  coal-field  on  the  north-east,  and  the  Cre- 
taceous plain  described  by  Conrad  and  Featherstone- 
haugh  to  the  south. 

New  York  State  Survey,  1836 — 1842. 

The  State  of  New  York  having  been  divided  into 
four  districts,  the  geological  survey  of  the  first  of 
these,  comprehending  the  southern  counties,  was  as- 
signed to  Mr.  Mather,  that  of  the  second  or  northern 
counties  to  Dr.  Emmons,  the  third  district  or  central 
counties  to  Mr.  Lardner  Yanuxem,  and  the  fourth  or 
western  region  to  Mr.  James  Hall. 

The  large  map,  comprising  the  result  of  their 
joint  labours,  has  not  appeared,  but  a  compendium  of 
?t  has  been  given  by  Mr.  Hall  in  his  geological  map 
of  the  Middle  and  Western  States,  published  in  his 
Final  Report,  Albany,  1843.  To  this  map,  by  Mr. 
Hall,  and  to  that  already  mentioned  by  Dr.  Dale 
Owen,  I  have  been  indebted  for  the  principal  portion 
of  that  part  of  my  map  which  contains  the  Govern- 
ment Surveys  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Hall's  map  comprehends  a  sketch  of  the  geo- 
logy of  Michigan,  with  which  he  was  furnished  by 
Dr.  Houghton,  the  government  surveyor  of  that  State, 
who  must  therefore  be  considered  as  my  authority 
for  this  region. 

The  observations  of  Dr.  Hildreth,  in  the  twenty- 
ninth  volume  of  Silliman's  Journal  "  on  Ohio,"  «fec., 
of  Professor  J.  T.  Ducatel,  in  Maryland,  and  Pro- 


PLATES   AND   MAPS. 


209 


fessor  J.  C.  Booth,  the  geologist  of  Delaware,  have 
been  embodied  by  Mr.  Hall  in  his  map,  which  I  have 
followed  in  regard  to  each  of  those  States. 

That  portion  of  Mr.  Hall's  map  which  relates  to 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  especially  the  ridges  of 
the  Appalachian  mountains,  is  necessarily  imperfect, 
in  consequence  of  the  unavoidable  delay  which  has 
attended  the  publication  of  the  splendid  maps,  now 
nearly  ready,  by  Professors  H.  D.  and  W.  B.  Rogers, 
the  surveyors  of  those  States. 

I  have  not  had  the  advantage  of  seeing  a  geologi- 
cal map  of  the  Western  States,  published  by  Mr. 
Byrem  Lawrence,  to  which  Mr.  Hall  refers. 

Dr.  Emmons  published  his  "  Final  Report  on  the 
Second  District  of  New  York"  in  1842.  It  contains 
geological  maps  of  the  counties  of  Jefferson  and  Clin- 
ton, and  many  detailed  sections,  extending  from  the 
great  primary  or  hypogene  district  of  New  York 
across  the  Silurian  basin  of  Lake  Champlain  into  Ver- 
mont, where  the  primary  reappears ;  giving,  upon 
several  different  lines,  the  points  at  which  the  various 
strata  appear  it  the  surface.  I  have  also  profited 
by  much  valuable  information  respecting  the  geogra- 
phical distribution  of  the  rocks  of  Canada,  &c.,  in  the 
body  of  Dr.  Emmons'  book. 

Percival,  James  G 

In  1842,  Mr.  Percival's  "  Report  on  the  Geology 
of  the  State  of  Connecticut"  appeared,  with  a  map 
exhibiting,  with  great  accuracy,  the  boundary  lines 
of  the  various  hypogene  rocks,  and  the  new  red  sand- 
stone of  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut,  with  the  re- 
markable crescent-shaped  masses  of  trap  which  oc- 

19* 


■'.;    :!, 


^ 


Hi 


!Mi 


ill,  ■ 

.'Hi     i 


'I: 


I 


'il^^likiiMMiitlmltiMimM 


! 


■  li 


%w 


210 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


cupy  n  considerable  portion  of  its  area.  These  trap- 
rocks  are  mentioned  by  Manlure,  but  their  form,  and 
the  singular  circumstance  that  they  all  lie  in  one  di- 
rection, with  their  points  eastward,  was  first  made 
out  by  Mr.  Percival. 

Dr.  a.  Ge8\er. 

In  1836,  Dr.  Gesncr  published  "  Remarks  on  tlie 
Geology  and  Mineralogy  of  Nova  Scotia,"  with  a 
small  map,  geologically  coloured,  in  the  construction 
of  which  he  had  been  engaged  some  years  before ; 
but  I  am  unable  to  record  the  exact  date  of  his  earli- 
est observations. 

In  1842,  he  sent  a  much  more  detailed  map  to  the 
Geological  Society,  to  illustrate  a  memoir  on  the  same 
subject,  an  abstract  of  which  appeared  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Society,  and  a  sketch  of  the  map 
itself  subsequently  in  the  Geological  Journal,  No.  I, 
p.  34,  1845.  In  1839  and  the  three  following  years, 
he  issued  four  Reports  on  the  Geological  Survey  of 
the  Province  of  New  Brunswick ;  but,  as  no  map 
was  published  with  them,  I  have  only  been  able  to 
glean  a  few  particulars,  sufficient,  in  connection  with 
the  MS.  map  with  which  Mr.  Henwood  has  furnished 
me,  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the  structure  of  that 
province.  In  the  last  of  these  Reports,  Dr.  Gesner 
describes  the  coal-field  of  New  Brunswick  as  occu- 
pying an  area  of  8,700  square  miles,  bounded  on  the 
south  by  a  primary  ridge  extending  from  Shepody  on 
the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  the  Oromoecto  Lake,  on  the  east 
by  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  on  the  north  and 
west,  as  far  as  it  has  been  explored,  by  palaeozoic 
and  primary  rocks  beyond  the  rivers  Nashwack  and 
Miramichi. 


PLATES    AND   MAPS. 


211 


cmarks  on  the 


The  whole  of  this  great  region  presents  a  remark- 
ably low  and  level  surface,  not  averaging  an  eleva- 
tion of  more  than  40  feet  above  the  sea,  the  coast- 
cliff  of  the  gulf  being  only  from  12  to  20  feet  high  ; 
and  the  central  tract,  which  separates  the  streams 
which  flow  west  into  the  St.  John's  from  those  which 
have  an  easterly  direction  to  the  gulf,  scarcely  ex- 
ceeding 150  feet. 

Sandstone,  containing  coal-measure  plants  and  fos- 
sil trees,  also  occurs  on  the  northern  shore  of  the  Bay 
of  Fundy,  forming  cliffs,  which  are  occasionally  200 
feet  high,  and  present  many  remarkable  contortions 
and  dislocations  of  the  strata,  caused  in  some  instances 
by  protruGing  masses  of  trap-rock. 

Henwood,  W.  J.,  F.G.S.,  of  Penzance. 
I  am  indebted  to  the  kindness  of  this  gentleman  for 
a  MS.  map  of  New  Brunswick,  indicating  the  locali- 
ties in  which  coal-measure  strata  occur  all  along  the 
south  shore  of  Prince  Edward's  Island,  and  on  the 
opposite  coast  of  Northumberland  Straits  and  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  from  Pictou  Harbour,  Nova 
Scotia,  to  Miscou  Island,  and  along  the  south  shore 
of  Chaleur  Bay.  Also  at  many  points  in  Passama- 
quoddy  Bay,  and  along  the  whole  course  of  the 
rivers  Nashwack  and  Miramichi  to  Bathurst  on  Cha- 
leur Bay. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Dawson,  of  Pictou. 
From  the  map  of  the  north-eastern  part  of  Nova 
Scotia,  sent  to  the  Geological  Society  by  this  gen- 
tleman, of  which  a  sketch  was  given  in  the  first  num- 
ber of  the  Journal  of  the  Geological  Society,  London, 


1'  I' 


'  1 


}      \' 


"^yWji        "*■<! 


213 


DB8CRIPTION    OF 


1846,  No.  I,  p.  26,  and  of  which  an  improved  edition 
will  be  given  in  the  third  number  of  that  journal,  I 
have  corrected  part  of  Dr.  Gcsner's  vnap  of  Nova 
Scotia,  so  far  as  the  small  scale  of  my  own  could 
allow.  On  Mr.  Dawson's  authority,  also,  I  have 
coloured  Prince  Edward's  Island  as  carboniferous, 
as  he  has  shown  that  the  sandstone  there  contains 
coal  plants  throughout. 

Mr.  Richard  Browv,  of  Sydney,  Cape  Breton. 
From  two  papers  and  a  map  communicated  by 
him  to  the  Geological  Society  df  London  (see  Quar- 
terly Journal,  No.  I,  p.  23,  and  No.  II,  p.  207),  I 
have  been  able  to  give  the  geology  of  the  island  of 
Cape  Breton. 

Prince  of  Neuwied. 

The  valley  of  the  Missouri  around  the  "Great 
Bend  "  has  been  coloured  as  Cretaceous  upon  the  au- 
thority of  the  Prince  of  Neuwied.  Mr.  Romer  has 
given  the  following  extracts  from  his  recently  pub- 
lished work: — "Reise  des  Prinzen  Maximilian  von 
Wied  zu  Neuwied  in  Nord-America." 

P.  76.  "  In  the  environs  of  Fort  Clark  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, all  the  hills  consist  of  sandstone  with  Bacu- 
lites  and  other  shells,  which  are  found  everywhere 
on  the  Missouri,  and  on  its  tributary  rivers.  Fossil 
bones  have  been  often  found ;  whole  skeletons  of  Sau- 
rian animals,  more  than  fourteen  feet  long,  frequently 
occur  farther  down  the  Missouri :  one  of  these,  found 
near  the  Big  Bend,  I  brought  home,  and  it  has  been 
described  as  a  new  species  of  Ichthyosaurus  by  Pro- 
fessor Goldfuss." 


\'i\ 


n.ATRA    AND   MAPfl. 


21S 


proved  edition 
that  journal,  I 
map  of  Nova 
ny  own  could 
,  aiso,  I  have 
carboniferous, 
there  contains 


P.  513.  "We  found  here  (near  tlie  mouth  of  the 
Mussel-shell  river,  Missouri)  many  shells,  and  among 
them  very  large  and  fine  Baculitcs." 

Baron  Leopold  von  Buch  informs  mc  that  the  late 
Mr.  Nicollet's  map,  which  I  have  not  seen,  would 
have  enabled  me  to  give  a  greater  extension  to  the 
cretaceous  strata  in  the  Far  West. 


w 


Cape  Breton, 
mmunicatcd  by 
idon  (see  Quar- 
X  II,  p.  207),  I 
of  the  island  of 


md  the  "Great 
ms  upon  the  au- 
Mr.  Romer  has 
is  recently  pub- 
Maximilian  von 

Hark  on  the  Mis- 
itone  with  Bacu- 
und  everywhere 
y  rivers.  Fossil 
skeletons  of  Sau- 
long,  frequently 
le  of  these,  found 
,  and  it  has  been 
jrosaurus  by  Pro- 


Seotion  II.     Geological  Formations  expressed  by  dif- 
ferent Colours  and  Numbers  on  the  Map. 

No.  1.  Alluvium  and  Post-Pliocene. — One  tint  is 
employed  to  represent  everything  newer  than  the 
chalk.  The  spaces  occupied  by  tertiary  strata  arc 
indicated  by  dotting  or  by  crosses,  as  in  Nos.  2  and 
3.  I  am  aware  that  many  parts  to  which  I  have  been 
unable  to  extend  these  markings  arc  really  tertiary. 

No.  2.  Miocene. — The  island  of  Martha's  Vineyard 
has  been  referred  by  me  to  this  period,  as  well  as 
other  districts,  the  area  of  which  is  sketched  out  in 
the  6th  chapter  of  this  work,  p.  132,  Vol.  I.,  and  a 
more  full  account  of  which  will  be  given  in  the  4th 
No.  of  the  Quarterly  Journ.  of  the  Geol.  Soc.  Lon- 
don, 1845. 

No.  3.  Eocene. — A  short  account  is  given  by  me 
of  what  I  observed  of  these  strata,  in  the  9th  chapter, 
p.  174,  Vol.  I.,  and  a  more  detailed  paper  will  be 
given  in  the  4th  No.  of  the  Quarterly  Journ.  of  the 
Geol.  Soc.  London,  1845.  I  have  by  no  means  been 
able  to  mark  all  the  points  at  which  Mr.  Conrad  and 
others  have  seen  the  outcrop  of  these  formations,  to 
which  I  have  also  referred  the  white  limestones  of 


''  1. 
1 


■^i^vatrtteiiaii^fc*.. 


I'fl 

I'*  I 


Mi 


214 


DESCRIPTION   OF 


the  Santee  river  and  some  other  places,  classed  by 
several  preceding  observers  as  Upper  Cretaceous. 

No.  4.  Cretaceous. — The  strata  indicated  by  this 
colour  in  New  Jersey,  are  described  in  the  4th  chap- 
ter, p.  77,  Vol.  I.,  and  in  my  paper  in  the  Quarterly 
Journal  of  Geol.  Soc.  No.  I.  I  have  already  alluded 
to  the  authorities  on  which  various  regions  of  the  map 
have  been  delineated  as  cretaceous. 

No.  5.  Coal  (Oolite?)  Virginia. — I  have  already 
mentioned  (p.  207),  that  Professor  W.  B.  Rogers 
considers  the  plants  of  the  newer  coal  of  Virginia  to 
agree  very  closely  with  those  of  the  oolitic  formations 
of  Europe.  I  have  therefore  distinguished  the  coal 
field  near  Richmond  in  Virginia,  which  I  did  not  visit, 
by  a  different  figure  (No.  6)  from  the  formation  next 
in  succession,  or  No.  6. 

No.  6.  New  Red  Sandstone  and  Trap. — The  pro- 
bable age  of  this  formation  has  been  discussed  by  me 
in  the  6th  chapter,  p.  125,  Vol.  I.,  it  being  still  a  ques- 
tion whether  it  should  be  referred  to  the  upper  or 
lower  New  Red,  to  the  Trias  or  Permian  groups  of 
Europe.  This  sandstone,  in  the  valley  of  the  Con- 
necticut and  elsewhere,  rests  on  hypogene  rocks,  and 
contains  the  footprints  of  birds  and  numerous  fish  of 
a  genus  allied  to  Paleoniscus. 

No.  7.  Coal  Measures. — I  have  alluded  to  the  Illi- 
nois and  Appalachian  coal-fields  at  pp.  81,  86,  Vol. 
I. ;  and  at  pp.  25,  26,  Vol.  II.  That  of  Nova  Scotia 
has  been  mentioned  in  the  24th  and  25th  chapters. 
Vol.  II.,  and  in  my  reference  to  Dr.  Gesner,  Mr. 
Brown,  and  Mr.  Dawson  as  authorities. 

No.  8.  Carboniferous  Limestone  and  Gypsum  of 
Nova  Scotia. — This  formation,  when  it  is  represented 


;>I.ATEB    AND   MAPS. 


215 


as  forming  a  belt  round  the  Ohio  and  Michigan  coal- 
field, as  shown  by  Dr.  Dale  Owen  and  Dr.  Houghton, 
consists  of  li'i '"Stone  containing  fossils  by  which  it  can 
be  referred  ;.  tf  e  mountain  limestone  of  Europe.  No 
gypsum  is  there  associated  with  it,  but  I  have  shown 
in  the  25th  chapter.  Vol.  II.,  that  the  lower  carboni- 
ferous rocks  of  Nova  Scotia  assume  a  very  different 
aspect  from  those  in  the  United  States,  consisting  of 
sandstone  and  red  marl,  with  large  masses  of  inter- 
stratified  gypsum  and  marine  limestone  with  true  car- 
boniferous fossils. 

No.  9.  Old  Red  Sandstone,  or  Devonian. — In  order 
to  understand  the  divisions  comprehended  under  this 
and  the  following  heads,  from  10  to  16  inclusive,  it 
will  be  necessary  to  refer  to  the  classification  adopted 
by  the  surveyors  of  New  York  in  their  geological 
reports,  of  which  the  following  Table  is  given  by  Mr. 
Hall  in  his  «  Final  Report,'*  p.  18. 


I) 


216 


CO 

m 

U6 
(A 
O 

i 


Cfeographieal 


aubdit 


tvtaunu. 


Cbamlpain 
Division. 


Ontario 
Division^ 


■  {i 


1. 

2. 
3. 

4. 
6. 
6. 

7. 
8, 
9. 
10. 


HSLDERBBKa 
8BSIB8. 


Erii 
Division. 


12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
>22. 
23. 

24. 

25, 
26, 

27, 

28, 


DESCRIPTION    OP  ^ 

Syatematie  mbdiviaioru,  founded  upon  the 
foaail  and  lithologieal  charaetera. 

Potsdam  sandstone. 

Calciferous  sandrock. 

Black-river  Limestone  group,  embracing  the 

Chazy  and  Birdseye. 
Trenton  limestone. 
Utica  slate. 
Hudson-river  group. 
Grey  sandstone. 

Oneida  or  Shawangunk  conglomerate. 
Medina  sandstone. 
Clint<m  group. 

Niagara  group,  including  shale  and  limestone. 
Onondaga-salt  group. 
Water-lime  group. 
Pentamerus  limestone. 
Delthyris  shaly  limestone. 
Encrinal  limestone. 
Upper  Pentamerus  limestone. 
Oriskany  sandstone 
Cauda-galli  grit 
Schoharie  grit. 
Onondaga  limestone. 
Corniferous  limestone. 
Marcellus  slate. 

C  Moscow  shales. 
Hamilton  group.  <  Encrinal  limestoneo. 

(  Ludlowville  shales. 
TuUy  limestone. 
Genesee  slates. 

C  Portage  sandstone. 
Portage  or  Nunda  group.  <  Gardeau  flagstones. 

(  Cashaqua  shale. 
Chemung  group 


No.  9  of  my  map  includes  Nos.  26,  27,  and  28,  or 
the  Genesee,  Portage,  and  Chemung  groups,  forming 
the  upper  or  newer  part  of  the  Erie  division  of  the 
New  York  system.  Some  allusion  will  be  found  to 
this  formation.  Vol.  I.,  p.  58,  and  Vol.  II.,  pp.  9 — 46. 
No.  10. — Hamilton  Group. — This  formation  in- 
cludes the  Moscow  and  Ludlowville  shales,  and  the 
Marcellus  slate  of  the  above  table  of  the  New  York 
system,  and  corresponds  in  many  of  its  fossils  with 


PLATES    AND    MAPS. 


217 


founded  upon  the 
il  characters. 


up,  embracing  the 

nglomerate. 

hale  and  limestone. 


one. 


w  shales. 

lal  limestonen. 

wville  shales. 


'Portage  sandstone. 
Gardeau  flagstones. 
;  Cashaqua  shale. 


,  27,  and  28,  or 
groups,  forming 

division  of  the 
will  be  found  to 
1.  II.,  pp.  9 — 46. 
3  formation  in- 

shales,  and  the 
■  the  New  York 
f  its  fossils  with 


the  Ludlow  rocks  of  Mr.  Murchison's  Upper  Silurian 
group. 

No.  11.  Helderberg  Series. — This  division  includes 
that  portion  of  the  Upper  Silurian  rocks  of  the  above 
Table,  which  comprises  the  formations  from  22  to  14 
inclusive.  Mr.  Hall  mentions  that,  after  leaving  the 
western  extremity  of  Lake  Erie,  the  Niagara  lime- 
stone, the  Onondaga  salt  group,  and  the  Helderberg 
limestones  (Nos.  13,  12  and  10  of  my  map),  are  so 
blended  together,  that  it  is  impossible  to  define  their 
limits  in  the  same  manner  as  in  New  York.  He  has 
therefore  united  them  in  his  map ;  and  represented 
them  under  one  colour  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  ; 
and  1  have  followed  the  same  plan. 

No.  12.  Onondaga  Salt  Group. — This  remarkable 
formation  of  red  and  green  argillaceous  shale,  marl, 
and  shaly  limestone,  with  veins  and  beds  of  gypsum, 
and  productive  brine  springs  acquires  a  thickness  of 
1000  feet  in  New  York,  near  the  Niagara  region,  and 
in  the  county  of  Onondaga,  where  it  is  largely  deve- 
loped ;  but  it  is  a  group  of  partial  extent  in  the  Up- 
per Silurian  division. 

No.  13.  Niagara  and  Clinton  Groups. — These,  it 
will  be  seen,  form  the  chief  part  of  the  Ontario  divi- 
sion of  the  New  York  system.  The  Niagara  lime- 
stone and  shale  correspond  in  their  fossils  with  the 
Wenlock  or  Dudley  limestone  of  England,  and  would 
therefore  be  classed  by  Mr.  Murchison  as  Upper 
Silurian. 

The  Clinton  group,  as  containing  the  Pentamerus 
oblongus  in  abundance,  would  be  considered  in  Eng- 
land as  Lower  Silurian  ;  but  Messrs.  Murchison  and 
De  Verneuil  regard  this  fossil  in  Europe  generally  as 


VOL.  IL 


20 


tl 


»''*j«:s*!i*ai*.iiiisif{ri,;itete...;',. 


mm 


218 


r'5SCRlPTI0N    OP 


on  the  dividing  line  between  the  Upper  and  Lower 
Silurian  rocks.  1  have  thought  it  most  convenient 
in  this  instance  to  unite  the  Clinton  and  Niagara 
groups. 

No.  14.  Hudson  River,  Utica,  ^c. — In  this  group 
I  have  included  the  formations  from  Nos.  5  to  9  in- 
clusive, of  the  table  of  the  New  York  system.  The 
Medina  sandstone,  the  Hudson  River  rocks,  and 
Utica  slates,  comprise  a  number  of  arenaceous  and 
argillaceous  strata,  which  separate  the  Niagara  and 
Trenton  limestones,  and  which  contain  fossils  corres- 
ponding to  part  of  the  Lower  Silurian  of  Europe. 

No.  15.  Limestone  of  Trenton,  SfC. — This  group 
includes  Nos.  3  and  4  or  the  Trenton  and  Bird's-eye 
divisions  of  the  New  York  table,  and  the  blue  lime- 
stone of  Cincinnati.  (See  p.  42,  Vol.  II.)  The  fos- 
biis  brought  by  Capt.  Bayfield  from  the  island  of 
Anticosti,  and  by  Dr.  Bigsby  from  the  Manitoulin 
Islands,  seem  to  imply  that,  near  the  northern  limits 
of  the  Silurian  rocks,  the  lowest  group,  containing 
Spirifer  lynx,  and  other  ancient  fossils,  and  the  newer 
calcareous  formations,  abounding  in  Pentamerus  ob- 
longus  and  Favosites  Gothlandica,  are  closely  conti- 
guous, and  cannot  perhaps  be  divided. 

No.  16.  Potsdam  sandstone,  Sfc. — This  group  com- 
prehends Nos.  1  and  2,  or  the  Potsdam  and  caleifer- 
ous  sandstones,  of  the  New  York  system,  being  the 
lowest  formation  containing  organic  remains  in  New 
York  and  on  the  St.  Lawrence. — See  pp.  106,  133, 
Vol.  II. 

Z.  Sandstone  of  Lake  Supe7'ior. — This  sandstone 
was  formerly  considered  as  belonging  to  the  Old  Red 
by  Capt.  Bayfield ;  but,  as  he  has  obtained  no  fossils 


PLATES    AND    MAPS. 


219 


from  it,  its  age  must  be  considered  as  undetermined, 
and  he  is  now  inclined  to  regard  it  as  the  equivalent 
of  the  Potsdam  sandstone.  The  small  oval  marks 
engraved  on  the  area  of  the  hypogene  rocks  on  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Superior,  indicate  points  where 
Capt.  Bayfield  has  seen  this  sandstone  overlying  the 
granitic  rocks. 

a.  Hypogene  {Granite,  Gneiss,  ^.) — Under  this 
head  I  have  comprehended  all  the  formations  for- 
merly called  primitive  or  primary,  whether  stratified 
or  unstratified,  plutonic  or  metamorphic.  They  are 
non-fossiliferous,  and  I  have  discussed  their  chrono- 
logical relations  in  the  21st  chapter,  at  pp.  108  to  112, 
Vol.  II 

b.  Trap  Rocks. — Trappean  rocks  of  various  ages 
are  indicated  by  crosses,  which  it  will  be  observed 
are  different  from  those  used  for  the  Eocene  strata. 

c.  Metamorphic  Limestone. — The  non-fossiliferous 
crystalline  limestones  or  marble  of  the  hypogene  or 
primary  class  are  indicated  by  this  character. 

Note. — I  have  to  acknowledge  the  co-operation  of 
Mr.  Woodward  of  the  Geological  Society  in  assist- 
ing me  in  collecting  the  various  maps  from  which  the 
present  one  has  been  compiled,  and  in  selecting  and 
arranging  the  colours. 


*l  ■ 


Plate  III. 

Map  of  the  Niagara  District. 

The  signification  of  the  six  subdivisions  of  the 
Silurian  system  of  New  York,  represented  in  this 
map,  will  be  understood  by  referring  to  the  pre- 
ceding description.     It  will  be  seen  that  the  Holder- 


I    ; 


S20 


DESCRIPTION    OF 


berg  limestone,  No.  1,  is  the  same  as  one  of  the 
Upper  Silurian  formations,  or  No.  11,  of  the  large 
map ;  that  No.  2  corresponds  with  No.  12,  and  Nos. 
3  and  4  with  No.  13,  while  No.  6,  or  the  Medina 
sandstone,  is  included  in  the  large  map  in  No.  14, 
and  considered  a  member  of  the  Lower  Silurian 
group.  In  the  Niagara  district,  it  is  constituted 
partly  of  a  hard  white  quartzose  sandstone,  but 
chiefly  of  red  sandstone  and  red  marl.  This  vciap  is 
referred  to  at  p.  30,  Vol.  I. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  same  Nos.  are  used  in  the 
section  at  the  side. 

The  usual  position  of  North  and  South  has  been 
reversed  in  this  map,  in  order  that  it  might  cor- 
respond with  the  bird's-eye  view,  PI.  I. 

Plate  IV. 

Facsimile  of  a  view  of  Niagara  Falls,  hy  Father 
Louis  Hennepin. — (From  the  original  Utrecht 
edition,  1697.) 

This  view  is  referred  to  at  p.  35,  Vol.  I.  The  ship 
introduced  by  Father  Hennepin  is,  I  presume,  a  con- 
ventional sign  for  water,  as  at  that  period,  Lake 
Erie  had  only  been  navigated  by  canoes. 

Plate  V. 

Fossil  mammalian  remains  from  the  tertiary  strata 
of  Marthds  Vineyard,  Massachusetts, 

An  account  of  the  fossil  walrus,  fig.  1,  will  be 
found  in  Vol.  I.,  p.  258.     In  regard  to  the  two  ver- 


l  ' 


PLATKsJ    AND    MAl'8. 


221 


tcbrsB  of  different  genera  of  cetaceans,  the  whale  and 
dolphin,  the  reader  is  reminded  that  they  have  been 
reduced  to  one  fourth  of  their  natural  size,  so  that 
they  must  have  belonged  to  individuals  of  very  largo 
dimensions. 


3  used  in  the 


Plate  VI. 

View  of  the  great  coal  seam  on  the  Monongahela  at 
Brownsville^  Pennsylvania. 

A  description  of  this  plate  is  given  at  p.   22, 
Vol.  II. 


Plate  VII. 

*  Recent  footprints  of  birds,  the  Sandpiper  {Tringa 
minuta),  on  the  red  mud  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy, 
Nova  Scotia — natural  size. 

A  full  account  of  these  impressions  of  the  foot- 
steps of  birds,  fossilized  in  red  marl  deposited  by  the 
waters  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy  in  July,  1842,  will  be 
found  at  p.  140,  and  the  following  pages,  Vol.  II. 
The  specimen  has  been  presented  by  me  to  the 
British  Museum. 


INDEX. 


AnouTioN  of  filfivery,  i.  153-150. 
AboIitiiini^tH,  iirecaiilioiis  iicniiiHt,  i.  ItC. 

,  iiiischitl'tiausi'd  hvi  i.  H!l. 

Ahori^'iiiiil  nice,  Dr.  Mortim  uii  the,  ii. 

M. 
A»w,  i.  120,  142. 

All)iiny,  »tiitp  (.'i^oIoRicnl  survey,  i.  13. 
Albioii  llli^"^!,  ii.  lUI. 
AlyiT,  .Mr.  1''.,  Miii»  of  Nova  Seoli.i,  ii. 

IM,  214. 
Alien  voters,  i.  180. 
AlloKliiinieH,  ri<l!:('a  nf.  I.  (30  ;  ii.  7. 
— ,  orossinji  ilie,  ii.  21. 
AlleKiitors,  i.  |-.'8. 

Aliiivi.'il  terraces  iit  Cineinniiti,  ii.  .'JO. 
Alliiviiiiii  iiiul  |i(ist-|)lioci'iiL',  ii.  2IJ. 
Aiiiliny  Strait,  ii.  5. 
Annelides,  trtuUs  of,  ii.  140. 
Antliraeite  of  Pennsylvania,  1.  05,  197. 
A|i|)alti("iian  cliain,  i.  GO. 

,  Btrnctnre  of,  I  7;i. 

coal  licld,  i.  71     ii.  20. 

,  iireii  of,  ii.  2i). 

— —  and  Illinois  coal   fields,  supposed 

former  continuity  of,  ii.  41. 
Architectnre,  iiionev  sunk  in,  i.  89. 
Ardoisi!  Hills,  ii.  137-i:»9. 
Association  of  American  Geologists,  i. 

208. 
Astartc  Laurpntian."!,  ii.  125. 
Asterophyllitos.  ii.  160. 
Astor,  Mr.,  i.  193. 
Asylum,  blind,  i.  02. 
Atlantic  pl;iin,  i.  100;  ii.  201. 
Atmosphere,  clearness  of,  at  New  Yorlc, 

i.  II. 
Augusta,  i.  123. 
Ausablu  Ilivur,  ii.  131. 


B. 

Bnchmnn,  Dr.,  i.  137, 

Hakewell,  .Mr.,  view  of  Niagara,  i.  21. 

Ilaltininre,  i.  102. 

nietaniorphio  roclts,  ii.  0. 

Hank  notes,  i.  '72. 

Hanks,  S.  of  Newfoundland,  i.  2. 

I3artrain  on  Licks,  ii.  54. 

Bath,  N.  y.,  shites  of  Old  Red,  i.  47. 

JJayfield,  C^apt  .  ii.  122,  129,  191,  2U2. 

Hears  in  Viraiiiia,  i.  118. 

IJeauly  in  (.eoru'ia.  i.  131, 

Beaupnrt,  marine  fossils,  ii.  122. 

boulders,  ii.  123. 

,  small  variety  of  shells,  il,  139. 


[  lleavprs,  wood  cnawnd  by,  ii.  193. 

'  Beck,  Or.,  ii.  122,  12,t. 

I  item  diet.  Prof,  ii.  IJ-i,  131. 

He<pi"sts  for  education,  i.  89. 

for  nation.il  purpnses,  i.  299. 

l)\jl  hone  l.ick,  ii.,  ,')4,  .')!), 

mastodon  bones,  ii.  .10. 

shells,  ii.  .>7. 

IJinney,  Mr.,  i>ii  sliginari.i,  ii,  150. 

Uiriis  rM)t  vocal,  i.  51. 

foot-trackn  of  i.  20'), 

.  foot  prints,  Nova  ticolia,  ii.  141. 

Rlinil  asylum,  i.  92. 

lilomidon,  Cape,  ii.  143, 

Hlossliertf  coiil,  simmaiia,  i.  49. 

lilu'j  liniesliine  of  C'mciiiiiati,  ii.  43. 

fossils,  ii.  43. 

lloardinL'-lioiises,  ii.  13). 

Hosts  in  Kenlnckv,  ii.  .U 

liooUi,  Mr.  J.  (!.,"ii.  2!t9. 

Iloston,  plants  le.'ar,  i.  4. 

,  drift  niiir,  i   5-7. 

m;irin(!  shells,  j.  5. 

railways,  i.  H. 

,  advantaiies  of,  i.  85. 

,  society  in,  i.  98. 

sleiirh-diivinu,  i.  99. 

,  meeting   of   American    gcoIOj-jists 

at,  i.  208. 

,  foiirih  nrrivnl,  ii.  131. 

Honlders  of  Loii^  Island,  i.  101. 

at  the  Falls  of  Monluiorenci,   il. 

10.>. 

between  Montrcil  and  Quebec,  ii. 

120. 

Rowtnan,  Mr.,  ii.  l,>t,  102. 

Ilrai'liiopiiil.'i,  ii.  44. 

Ilraddock,  (JiMieral.  crave  of,  ii.  20. 

Biili-;li  setlleis  unable  to  speak  English, 
ii.  9.i. 

posse.ssions  in  America,    popula- 
tion of,  ii.  102. 

Brookfii'ld,  N.  Scotia,  ii.  181. 

Brooklyn,  i.  189. 

Broiii;niart,  M.  Adolphe,  onstigmaria,  i!. 
17,  157. 

Brown,  Mr.  Richard,  ii.  191,  212. 

Brownsville  coal,  ii.  22. 

Brvi!on  swamp,  i.  139. 

Buddie,  Mr.,  ii    101. 

Bnlfilii  trail,  Bi::  Hone  Lick,  ii.  55. 

,  town  of  ii.  75. 

Bunhnry,  Mr.  Chtuli'S,  ii.  IGS,  170. 

Burlington,  Vernnmt,  drift  of,  ii.  123. 
,  town  of,  ii   131. 

Burning-spring  at  Niagara  K.,  ii.  75. 

Burr  stone,  i.  120. 
Butterflies,  i.  39. 


'  t 


234 


INDEX. 


Cnlamilcg,  iiprlRht,  il.  104. 

,  list  of  HpciiuH.  ii.  170. 

Cainlirlilifit  UIliVl!r^ily  HyHtPin,  i.  313. 

,  Dr.  IViicock  on,  I.  ii30. 

,  youih  of  te.ichcrM,  I.  2,'JO. 

.  iirlviilu  lutorB  or  "criiiiiiijorK,"  i. 

330,  -Sl\. 
,  trnnsifprcnce  of  tuition  to  colle({c 

tutor",  i.  33H. 

,  Trliiiiy  unci  St.  John's  colleges,  1. 

230. 
— ,  cicrlriil  profrsRors,  1.  211. 
,  Dr.  WlicvvtII's  ircri.-lHu,  1.241,248. 

— ,  MllHfl;icllU8Utt8,  i.  Oj. 

Cnuuilii,  Ii.  00. 

,  l)H(l  roml.s,  ii.  OJ). 

^— ,  Fri.'Uch  fiirnicrs,  II.  0!) 

,  Scolcli  tfiiii)!iiuits,  ii.  08 

— — ,  solditTH,  II.  03. 

,  niilllary  nypcct  of,  11.  100. 

— -  "SynipalliliSLiM,"  il.  10(1. 

OiMiliijiiciil  HUivi'y,  ii.  103. 

Cape  Dri'ion,  coiii  nii>ii»ure8,  ii.  175. 

— —  coal  piniils,  ii.  10.). 

mountain  linii'siunc,  fossils  of,  ii. 

163. 

Capital  nnd  metropolis,  Bppnration  of,  i. 
193. 

Carhoiiic  acid,  atmnsphore  of,  i.  120. 

CarliotiifnrouH  nicks,  tlik'kiii'HS  of,  i.  GO. 

llnicbtonc  fossils,  list  of,  ii.  103. 

— ^  flora,  Willi!  range  of,  Ii.  17, 

list  of,  ii.  165. 

Carolina,  S.,  Eocene  strata,  1.  138;  pre- 
face, V. 

malaria  in,  i.  143, 

Cave  Hall,  while  limestone,  i.  140. 

Cedars,  i.  124,  l-X). 

Chalk  of  New  .Jersey,  1  62. 

Champlain  lake,  |ilani8,  ii.  133. 

scenery  of,  ii.  130. 

Channinf!,  Dr.,  ii.  1. 

Charleston,  i.  1:^. 

,  severe  frost,  i.  137. 

Charter  of  Charles  II.,  Rhode  Island 
ii.2. 

Chit'necfo  Channel,  ii.  I.IO. 

Chilniark  strata,  i.  211.5. 

Churches,  voliintiiry  system,  i.  102. 

,  episcopal,  i.  163. 

Cincinnati,  ii.  38. 

Iilue  limestone,  ii.  43. 

bones  of  elephant,  ii.  51. 

,  associated  shells,  ii.  51. 

"pork  aiistiicracy,"  ii.  61. 

alluvial  terraces,  ii  50. 

City  Point,  i.  107. 

Civilisation,  progress  of,  i.  59. 

Clay,  nodules  of,  ii.  127. 

Clergy,  salaries  of,  i.  164. 

Cleveland  "  lake  ridges,"  ii.  71. 

alluvial  terraces,  ii.  74. 

"Cliiriim.'s|one,"  ii.  41. 

Climate  of  N.  America,  i.  8. 

-^—  of  miocene  period,  i.  110. 


iCIimateof  U.  S.,  1, 104. 
Clinton  group,  ii.  217. 
Coaches,  i.  4U;  ii.  02. 
Coal  oolitic,  of  Virginia,  il.  314. 

measures.  Nova  Hcolla,  il.  148 

phmts  of  Nova  Scoiia,  ii.  158. 

list  of,  ii.  1(15-171. 

formed  l)y  growth  of  plants  in  Bitu, 

ii.  161. 

dehituminizalion  of,  1.  72, 107. 

,  origin  of,  I.  llrt. 

of  Frosthurg,  il.  13. 

,  siigmaria  aiut  iiiailno  shells,  11. 15. 

plants,  ii,  16. 

on  the  Ohio,  nhundnnce  of,  ii,  33. 

,  vast  area  of,  Ii.  25. 

plants  of  .Marietta,  tt,  .3.5. 

pl.'inls  of  I'oMieroy,  il,  37. 

Coheipiid  hills,  il,  11)1). 
Coilriii(;ioii,  Col.,  ii.  114,  121. 
Coggin's  Point,  1.  107. 
Congress  at  Washington,  1.  103. 

,  good  faith  of,  1.  179. 

Coniieciicui  Valley,  i.  l'!l. 

yeomanry,  i.  101. 

river. — footmarks,  1.  301. 

Conrail,  Mr.,  i.  63  ;  ii.  204. 

Triloliites  of  New  York,  ii.  45. 

Cooper  lliver,  i.  13^. 

Corals,  Tiniher  Creek,  i.  04. 

Corduroy  road,  il.  63,  94. 

Cornilcrous  limestone,  ii.  81. 

Cote  du  Neigu,  shells  5U0  feet  high,  II. 

119. 
— -  »t.  Pierre,  shelly  gravel,  ii.  118. 
Crahs,  i.  133. 
Cretaceous  group,  ii.  214. 
strata  of  New  Jersey,  i.  03,  preface, 

p.  iv. 
Cumberland  coal-tield  of  Maryland,  ii. 

14. 
of  Nova  Scotia,  ii.  103. 


Dncucrreofvpe  view  of  the  Horse-shoe 
Fall,  ii.  77. 

Darwin,  Mr.,  on  cornl  reefs,  ii.  91. 

Dawson,  Mr.  J.  W.,  ii.  181,  211. 

Debert  River,  Nova  Scoti:i,  ii.  181. 

Deliiluminixatiim  of  coal,  i.  72,  197. 

Deep  sea  strata,  ii.  47. 

Delaware,  Hood  on,  i.  82. 

Denincracy,  effects  of,  i.  180  ;  ii.  194. 

Democratic  movement  in  Uhodc  Island, 
ii.  2. 

Denudation  of  Alleghanies,  ii.  18. 

■•  Di'tecior,"  i.  171. 

De  Toc(|uevillu,  on  the  progress  of  emi- 
grants in  Oliio,  ii.  Co. 

De  Venieuil,  M.,  Silurian  system  of 
Scandinavia  and  Itussia,  ii.  44. 

on  Nova  Sroiia  fossils,  ii.  182. 

Devonian  rocks  in  the  Appalachians,  i. 
47;  ii.  8,  45. 


; 


INDEX. 


385 


linin,  11.314. 
I  Scdilii,  II.  UH 

Hcdilu,  li.  158. 

l. 

th  orpliintii  in  Bitii, 

m  of,  i.  7S!,  197. 

.'.  13. 

iiiaiinc  tihclls,  ii.  13> 


rk,  i.  G4. 

U3, 1)4. 

)ni',  II.  81. 

l'IIh  5U0  fuct  high,  il. 

[illy  griivcl,  il.  118. 

ii.  314. 

I  Jersey,  1. 02,  preface, 

Held  of  Maryland,  iJ. 

Ua,  ii.  163. 


2W  of  the  Horse-shoe 

•nrnl  reefs,  ii.  91. 
v.,  II.  181,-211. 
vii  Seotlii,  II.  181. 
of  coal,  i.  7J,  197. 
I.  47. 
,11,  i.  82. 

tH  of,  i.  18t) ;  ii.  104. 
iment  in  Uhodc  Island, 

lloghanicg,  ii.  18. 
1. 

in  the  progress  of  cmi- 
li.  05. 

.,   SiUirinn  system  of 
nd  Uusslii,  il.  44. 
(itia  fossils,  ii.  182. 
in  the  Appalachians,  i. 


Dickcni,  Mr.  Charles,  rcccptloa  of,  I. 

158. 
Divinity  sth'-ols,  1.211. 
Dorr,  leader  of  Uhodu  Island  insurgents, 

il.  4. 
Drll\  nt  Bcaupnrt,  near  Quebec,  li.  133. 

lit  Kee«(Vlllo,  II.  127. 

near  Boston,  i.  .5-7. 

of  South  Brooklyn,  1. 190. 

of  BurllnRton,  li.  12;!. 

at  Nlngiira  Fulls,  li.  78. 

northern,  ane  ol,  II.  59. 

of  the  Ht.  Lnwrenrc,  II.  116. 

ut  Lnke  St.  I'eter,  il.  120. 

Ducatel,  Mr.  .1.  '1'.,  il.  208. 
Dnnciin,  Mr.,  ii.  192. 
Diirhiini  county,  icIitliyolitO!',  i.  100. 
snuw  Biorin,  i,  loi. 


F.nstR.  of  Picfoii,  ii.  191. 
Eftton,  ProffHHor,  I.  54. 
Khenezer  ciiuscway,  I.  129. 
Education,  compultory,  i.  94. 
KilucntionnI  funds,  1. 1)0. 
Election  nt  Trcntmi,  I.  83. 

nt  PhiladiMphlH,  1.  83. 

Electoriil  hiirly,  roforiii  of,  i.  187. 
Elephiints'  liiiiics  at  fliicinnati,  ii.  51. 
Enianripation  In  VVtat  Indies,   i.   148, 

152-107. 
F-niigriints  of  Oeniinn  oripin,  ii.  12. 
Emmons,  Dr.,  'r.iconic.  tystein,  I.  \9!i. 

,  rocks  of  liuku  Chaiiiphiin,  li.  81. 

,  ii.  2(19. 

Eocene  oignnic  rctinlns,  1.  129. 

limestone  of  W'iliuiii^tun,  i.  150. 

shells,  i.  142. 

Willie  linicsicine,  i.  141. 

strata  of  S.  Carolina  and  Georgia, 

i.  138;  preface,  p.  v. 

,  il.  213. 

Episcopal  church,  i.  103. 
Equi'lity,  II.  104. 

of  sects,  I.  90. 

spirit  of,  i.  49. 

Erratics  near  Boston,  i.  5. 

nt  Iliiiiipdi'n,  I.  10. 

of  Lonf!  Island,  I.  189. 

of  Martha's  vlncvard,  i.  203. 

L'sspjl  CO.,  N.  y.,  blalls  in  drift  at,  ii. 

127. 
Eutaw,  corals  and  shells,  i.  141. 
Evergreen,  Va.,  masses  of  coral  at,  i. 

107. 


F. 

Fanners  of  Conn"cllrut,  i.  101 
Feiilheistonhaug'i,  i.lr.  G.  VV.,  i.  71 ;  ii. 

303. 
Fees  of  putillc  lecturers,  i.  89. 
Ferns  in  fructification,  ii.  .10. 
Fever  and  ague,  i.  120,  142. 


Fiddler  crnhs,  i.  133. 

FliLinclal  crisis,  i,  173. 

Fin.',  alarms  of,  i.  61. 

Fire  Hies  I.  II;  il.  59,  94,  13.V 

FIsli  In  old  red  sandstone,  I.  48. 

in  Hiluiian  rocks,  I).  48. 

Clerk,  Indian  corn,  li.  28. 

Flood  on  the  Drinware,  i.  82. 

Florida  war,  i.  130. 

Foot-prints  of  liird.s,  \ova  Scotia,  II.  141. 

Footitrps,  siippi.sed  riplilian,  11.  177. 

Forties,  I'rof,  K.,  on  iiiniliii;  I'aunu,  il,  40. 

Forest  in  Keiitiirky,  il.  53. 

on  liri'.  II.  190. 

Forests  of  fossil  trees,  il.  153. 

Fosr-il  liccs  iipn;.'lit,  II,  i(il. 

FosjIIs,  list  of  Mova  Scuiia  carbonifer- 
ous llincstoiii',  il.  Ill,'),  171. 

Frederick,  liii'liiiiiorphtc  riirl;s,  ii.  0. 

FredoniM,  iiMiiral  gas,  ii,  74. 

.-i'liid  riilge,  11.  ^4. 

Fn^ncU  fanners,  II.  99. 

Fli'sliwiiter  slielLs  i.  101. 

Frost  ;il  I'liarleston,  i.  137. 

Frosilinig  iron  iniiies,  11,  13. 

,  iiiialysi.s  of  coal,  li.  14. 

,  nninrrous  neains  of  coal,  il.  I,"!. 

,  oiMliers  of  qiiarlzuze  grit,  il.  18. 

,  sKiiiik,  il.  19. 

f:iiiiily  of  emigrants,  il.  13. 

Fundv,  ll.iy  of,  tides,  il.  139. 

,  tlie  Bore,  11.  140. 

red  mud,  ii.  140. 

Furrows,  glacial,  recent,  in  Nova  Sco- 
tlti,  ii.  144. 

O. 

Gnnnnnnrjui  polished  rocks  and  bouN 
dels,  11.  1 13. 

Gayliead  Clilfs,  Martha's  Vineyard,  i. 

205. 
I .  Indians  settled  near,  1.  200. 

Gehbard,  Mr.,  i.  .')4. 

Geiii'sei!  Upper  Falls,  i.  45. 

,  t'or>il  liiiislodoii,  I.  ■!.">. 

Geolo;:ical  survey  of  Caiitidu,  ii.  102. 

New  York,  I.  13. 

Geologists,  assoclaliuii  of  Ainericau,  I. 
208. 

Georgia,  Eocene  strata  of,  i.  138 ;  pre- 
face, p.  V. 

German  patois,  i.  81. 

I'enii.sylvanians,  i.  182. 

"  log-rolling,"  I.  183. 

emigrants,  ii.  12. 

setllers,  11.  ('!8. 

Gesni'r,  Dr.,  11.  I.W,  157,  210. 

Girard  College  bequest,  i.  89. 

Glaeiiil  theory,  i.  7. 

furrows  In  Canada,  ii.  113. 

recent  furrows  in  Nova  Scotia,  ii. 

144. 

,  furrows  near  Halifax,  ii.  130. 

Goat  Island  freshwater  deposit,  i.  29. 

(;oplier,  i.  128. 

Gould,  Dr.,  ii.  129. 


220 


INDRX. 


n 


Ml 


Citcnt  DiKinnI  dwnmp,  I.  114. 

Mr.  K.  Uiirrin'H  (IcHcrliillnn,  I.  114. 

Iii!<liiir  ihiiii  riiiruuiiiiiiig  couiiiry, 

I.  11."). 

iici'ilinnlnlioii  of  pent,  I.  110. 

—  iri'c-t  mill  slirul)ii,  I.  110. 

Iiiiilril  ImiliiT,  I.  117. 

^—  laUi.'  Ill  till'  ri  Mlrr,  i,  117. 
.—  liiiirT*  iinil  will!  iiilH,  I,  IH. 
flrrcn,  Ciipt.  (ii'iii^'r,  II.  13. 
(iirrii  liiimtll;iiii.'<,  il,  Ut.'l. 
lilrituxiillil,  <'rrUici'iill!i,  I.  on. 
<;iiiiivi'S  iin  .Niiiuuiii  liliir:«ti>nu,  11.  iri, 
««iiivi>,  Hmilh  ('.'unlliiii,  I.  l:)0. 

Imiiliinr,  Hlirllsl.  IIW. 

r;y|iMiiii.  il.  lH(t,  -Jl.".. 

of  -Novu  Scutia,  tiijc  of,  li.  172-187. 


II. 


IIiil)iTsh;ini,  III-.,  I.  i:)0. 
IliilHiix,  liiii'h'iiii',  &r.,  1.3. 

Hli.illiris,  II.  litU. 

jrl  irl;il  I'liriiiWH,  II.  1.^0. 

ll!ill,  Mr.  .liiiiicH,  I.  If!;  |i. -JUS. 
JI;iiii|m|i'ii,  I'rrai: ;  Murk,  i.  10. 
Il.iiniliiiii  irriiiii,  i'.  l^lti. 
,  yir  W.,  oil  Kiigll.'ih  unlvci>:i!ics  i. 

SKI. 
Ilai'liin,  Dr.,  i.  1(10. 
ll:ir|iir's  I'"i-ny,  N'lrpiiilii,  II.  0. 
lliirrisiin,  UcmlmiiI,  on  luillaii  niounilH, 

il.  :ii). 
II:irvi\nl  ITniviTslly,  1,  03. 

Colli'L'i',  I.  i!l4. 

,  iHDli'ssiirH  mill  tutors,  1.  314. 

I'xiimiiiiiliiiiH,  1  yi.l. 

ll.iyi'H,  Mr.  .).  I4.,  on  Iccliorqs,  IL  83. 
llriili'riii'ri;  iiiiiiiuiiilMii,  i.  54. 

scrli'f^,  il.  -in. 

"  Ili'lili'iln'r!.'  \v;ir,"  i.  .W. 

Ilriiiii'lilirs  (U'l^erlptiun  of  Xiagnra  Full:i, 

1.  2H. 
lIcinvoiKl,  Mr.  \V.  J.,  ii.  311. 
Iloynrr's  IJriil!,'",  I    Kill, 
llilihliiii  I  M.'ttli'rs,  II.  |H9. 
llililri'lli,  Dr.,  ii,i.'i),  3iK 
Jlitrhi'ork,  Prolussur,  drift  of  .Viiilicrst, 

I,  llli);  ii.  20,-). 
Iloliolii'ii,  siMiii'iitlno  rlitf-",  i.  18D, 
lldloplu'liiiis,  1.47;  ii.  17H. 
llolyiilii',  Alimiit,  [iliiiits,  i.  303. 
IlMrricslioi!  r.ill,  I.  •'.'). 

,  piK>iii};  iiirilrr,  ii,  70. 

,  l)iij:iiiTn'(i:vp(^  \ii;\v  of,  ii,  77. 

lloiifrliloii.  Dr.,  ii.3!H, 
Iliilihaiil.  Prii(W<iir,  ii.  1;13. 
Iliiilsnii  I'ity,  i;!iliiri:in  rocks,  t.  10^. 

Itivrr  t'riiiip,  ii,  2IH. 

Rivrr  scciirry,  i.  13. 

Ihiiiiiiii  liiiiirs  fllSf^ili/,L'(l,  i.  150. 

Bkiill,  i.  i;)0. 

Jhiniiiiinc  liirils  ii.  101,  103. 

lit  Nc'wliiivi'ii,  i,  10. 

,  tiiini'iii'.sri  of,  I.  51. 

llypiigorie  rucks,  ii.  100. 


Icn  of  Now  EnBlnnd,  1.  0. 
,  iii-tion  ot;  II.  Mil. 

InhrlL'H.  I,  I3H  ;  il.  H.l. 

IrhiliviilltuH  of  Uurhiiiii,  Connecticut, 

I,  lilt. 

In  Olil  lli'il  HnnilHtoni',  II.  4fl. 

llliiiiiM   mill    Appnlarliimi    I'uiil    fli'lil*, 

|i|i|ipi)i<('il  fiiriiirr  conllniiliy  of,  11,  41. 
liiill.'inH  nriir  (tiiyliuiiit,  I.  'Jiiii, 

of  Ohio  Viillry,  ll.:iJ, 

liiilimi  corn  fuuiiil  I'ox'il  on  iho  Olilo, 

II.  yn. 

liKiunilH,  II,  2fl. 

—  (■i\iii..4iiiiiiii,  Ii,  :i.i,  ni. 

Inilliiii  MiiiiiiiiT,  I.  H,"!, 
Iiil'iisoiiiil  iliiy,  I.  107 
Irinli  viilrrn,  I.  1^3. 

(,'iillrKr,  liitiilrraniT,  1.  313. 

Itiitiuii  sciciUitlc  "  cuiijjrL'sii,"  i,  333, 


.Tack  Porlrr  Minp,  Mmvhinil,  il,  10. 
JackHin,  Mr,  C, '1'.,  ii.'lll,  3ii4, 
.lai'ipirs'  C'liitirr  Itivur  kIii.'II..<,  11.  131. 
■liiliK  s  Itlvrr,  I.  107. 
Ji'iiiiin).''!*   Klin,   Fro.'itlmrg,  outlivl'8  of 

i|iiiirl/o/,i',  piit,  il,  IH. 
.Iiii;aiiirrf:.  ii,  103, 
.lii)!i;iMri,  Hciiiili,  ii,  151,  I,'!!), 
.loliivilli',  Priiiii;  ill',  i.  1)7. 
Jones,  Cokiut'l,  I.  137. 


K. 


Kiilm'a  description  of  Niagarr.  Fall*,  I. 

20. 
KiTsi'ville  drift,  ii.  127. 

,  l.iiij!iilii',  ii,  131. 

Kciitiicky  fmiiii'rs,  il.  13. 

Iiii!!s,  li.  .j,S. 

"  KllliiiU'llini',"  1.  15. 
Kinu  ('rail,  i.  307. 
Kiiigriton,  11.  leJ3. 


I4. 

Liiboiir  compnlsory  in  Europe,  i.  69, 
liuki'  in  (irrat  Di.-iiial,  i.  114. 

niilKcH,  il.  HO.  U 

Kiilui's,  iii'ar  Ck'Vi;land,  ii.  71. 

f.\i  rr.iiric,  II,  i:!0. 

I. aura  llriilsiiiian,  1.  03. 

l.aiinl  Hill.  11.30. 

Ll'M,  .Mr,,  lliivlalilp  slirlls,  I,  1(10. 

Ij(!Cliiri-s  at  liowrll  Insliliiti',  i.  HO. 

,  iiiviliitions  to  deliver,  i.  104. 

attended   by  labouring   classes, 

100. 

in  O.xford  university,  i.  235. 

in  <;,'iiiil)rl(l«i'  nniversiiv,  i.  340. 

Lehigli  Suinniil  Mine,  i.  C;',  b-.  llf?. 


i\Drx 


Ji27 


10. 


Piif  Connecilcut, 

Inc,  11.  4a 

liiii    fi.iil    flcKlf, 

llniiiiy  of,  II.  41. 

Tl.  '.'oii. 

J  .'I'.', 

fil  oil  the  Ohio, 


11. 


^  i,  21.1. 


'■■mil,  li.  JO. 
II.  -Jill. 

"huw^,  ii.  ]-:i. 

"■;-',  ouiliuis  of 


Viiigarr.  Fulls,  J. 


•'"•opt',  i.  69. 
114. 

U 
and,  il.  71. 


I.  i.  1(10. 
lite,  i.  HO. 
r,  i.  1!)4. 
iiij;    cliiiiscs,   1. 


"itv,  i.  240. 


Iir|iiilo(IrmIrnn,  M,  Iflfl. 

Iil'jlillll^tlollllH,  II.  107. 

1.<'  Kiiy  l''iill,  I    \rt. 

I.tliriiilrr  ill  MiiNHiichiiMotl",  I.  SIO. 

l.lrkM,  li.  .VI, 

I.icliiu,  I'nil'iHHor,  nn  ihr  uliili-  iit'fi'iljng 

InWIiriliNrii  III')'  III  i:ii(!liillll,  i.  'JI5. 
I.iiiii'Hiiiki',  i.  Hi). 
J.iiitfiiiii'  ill  Niiiiilsliiiir.  il.  1,13, 
I.iiiiiii'ii  IhiU'mIh,  il.  IIH. 
l.ilcriiry  worl.-,  Iiiiu'i'  mhIp  nf,  I.  210, 
J.iMi'iiiiol,  nrriviil  iii,  11.  IIKI, 
I.iicki',  Dr.,  li.  '.'Il,  1(1,  au7, 
•'  I.o;!  rolling',"  I.  IKl. 
Lojtiin,  Mr.,  Kr(il(i(.MCiil  mirvoy  of  Ciina- 

(lii,  i.  .'id;  il.  KM,  I7:i. 
I.nnu  Miiiiil,  crriilir  lilorkM,  I.  180. 
liiiwi'll  liihlitiili'  li'i  liiri'M,  I,  HO. 

(iral  In^triiclion,  i.  8H. 

fccM  of  Iccliiri'id,  i.  H>. 

Ini'tltiiti-,  ciislly  buildings,  I,  8D. 

Mr.  .Iiilin,  i.  <»J. 

futtorlcM,  1, 10. 


Mnrliir«'8si>nloslrii1  map,  I.  105. 

,  Mr.  W.,  ii.  21(1. 

Mrt'iint,  Mr.,  slii'llR  at  Cotu  dc  Nclgc, 

ii.  Hi). 
Mtihiri.i  in  South  Cnrolinn,  i,  14.1. 
Miiiiiiiinlin,  I.  ID,  45,  54,  130,  130,  139 
Miinnrrn,  i.  57. 
Mniii'ttn  cnnl  inrnsiirpR,  11.  35. 

psninlitDfi,  II.  35. 

Miirthii'H  Vhiryiird  Imnos,  i.  204. 

rrrnlir  liloctkB,  I.  200. 

,  Indians  of,  i,  200, 

Mniikinoiii;^-,  fiillM  of,  li,  120, 
MnxBarliiiscllH,  llhriiricH  in,  I.  210. 
Alaatodnn  ri'inains  near  Knchcbtur,  i.  19. 

nl  N'inparn  Falln,  I.  41. 

at  Ofiirsi'C,  i.  4.'5. 

■ near  lltidHon  River,  i.  54. 

■ in  Groruia,  i.  1.10. 

in  lliyt!oii  H\vnni|),  i.  139. 

cki  li'tiin  from  Missouri,  I,  ICO. 

Iioiic''  in  Krnllickv,  ii.  .17. 

MalliiT,  Mr.,  report  of  New  York.  i.  I'.U. 
Iifacli  on  the  cousl  of  Long  Island, 

ii,  ill. 

ii.  208, 

Manch  t.'linnlf,  i.  09,  197. 
Metatnor|iliii'  linir.sioiic,  il.  219. 
Mctr(i|iolis  ana  Quintal,  sonaration  of,  i. 

193. 
Mi'vicanij,  aaciunt  civilisation  of  Ihd,  ii. 

3-2. 
Mil  Ilia  vrn,  Gcnijri.-i,  1.  127. 
Miiiiiilif,  ii|irl!;lit  trci's  iinir,  ii.  l.'O. 
Miiici'iK!  s'trat.'i  of  Viijiiiiia,  i.  105;  inc 

face,  ]).  V. 

pcriiid.  cliiMntc  of,  i.  110. 

iiiiiris  of  U'iliiiinL'Iiin,  l.)C. 

forniiniiins.  il.  2IH. 

*Mirii|'e"  on  hake  Ontario,  ii  85. 


MixHl'^ippI,  rr'iMidlatinn  of,  I,  18S, 
.Miii'kiHi.'  Iiird,  1.  142. 
.Miiliiiwk  Milliy,  I    I,'). 

.M i<uiiii(  la  icivir  ^lll'll!■,  li.  27, 

,  (iiliI  nil  Ihl',  li. '.'.'. 

Mniii iviK  I.  inllH  ciC.  ii.  Kl.'i,  l'.>0. 

— ,  |)oli.lii  d  (ini  IsK,  li.  1 1 1. 
Moiilri'i.l,  I'n  mil  n«|ii  1 1  oi,  ii.  |)fl. 

till'  Hi'iil  (if  KciMiiiim  111,  li.  1)0. 

,  iiMiiiiiiiiin  111',  II,  nil, 

hIii'IIh,  li.  117. 

,  liiiiilili.f  i-ImIIh,  11.  1I!». 

,  till  (iivcrrd  liuuwr',  li.  130. 

"Mnraiiiiw,"  i,  nil). 
•Mtpiri^,  .Mr.,  ii.  I(i.'), 
.Morliiii,  l)r„  i.  01). 

,  Aiioriiiiiiai  Indians,  il.  33. 

.Mofipiiiiii'H,  ii  t)H, 

Ml t  Virniin.  I.  1,'ifl. 

MuunialiiH  iif  Ni'W  York,  ii.  131, 

Miiiintaiii  lirnc.'itono  IiihhIIm,  il.  183. 

"  Miivi;r'H  lloiirif,"  ii,  03, 

Muddy  Itivcr.  i.  33. 

MiirrhlMMi,    .Mr.,    Rilurian    Hyxlrin    of 

Hr.'iiidiiiiivia  r.nd  Uii.-i(ila,  il.  44. 
MiiHi'iiiii  at  Wnxhington,  i.  IU2. 
MytiluH  I'duliit  fosiili,  II.  117. 

V. 

National  Rond,  li.  7 

Nt'iiroi'H,  natural  capocitics  of,  i.  153; 

ii.  .14. 
— ,  wealthy,  social  podiiinn  of,  i.  104. 

,  fri'c,  di'pri'i<8iiin  of.  I.  104. 

,  i-arriiiiicnt,  ndininistorcil  to,  i.  108. 

,  ri-pugnance  to  asijociatu  with,  i. 

,  rpservntions.  1.  170.    (Seo  Slaves.) 

Nerciti'H  in  'i'aconic  iiiounluina,  i.  195. 

Ni'iiroptriiH,  il.  lOri. 

Nfiiwird,  I'lincnof,  11.312. 

New  llrniiswick  coal  fli'id,  ii.  210. 

Ni-w  Kn|;land.  pond  fiiiih  of,  i.  180. 

univrrsilii-H.  I.  211. 

divinity  srhoolri,  I.  21 1. 

lhriilii(iirnl  coili'Rf'H,  i.  211. 

.  carlv  ago  of  (|iiittiiig  collpge,  i, 

314. 

Harvard  rollrgc  Byett'in,  i.  214. 

,  trt'i'i',  ii.  .I. 

Ncwfoniidland  fog  bank r,  i.  1. 
N'l'uIiiivi  n,  i.  10. 

nil  HiindsKine,  i.  10. 

New  Jersey  f?retaceim8  strata,  i.  02 ,  pr« 

fare,  p.  iv. 

New  I'ed  sandstone,  i.  12. 

trees,  ii.  5. 

Now    lied    sandstone   of    Connecticut 

Kiver,  i.  2110. 

,  New  .lersey,  i.  12. 

—  ,  DnrlKiin,  Oonnctlicut,  i.  99. 

,  ii.  214. 

New  Ynrk,  innnnlnins  nf,  ii,  131. 

siivincs'  liiink-  i.  173. 

island,  i.  Ifc9. 


228 


INDEX. 


New  York,  niigratory  condition  of,  i. 

VJ-2. 
Now  VorU  sympathizers,  il.  101. 

Cciildfiicil  siiivcy,  i.  13. 

I\'i;if:iiru  I'lills,  fcciii'iy,  i.  2i. 
,  vii|i()iiry  cloiiilci,  i.  "2. 

,  Mr.  IliikcULll's  view,  i.  24. 

,  (Icsicri,  tiim  iif,  i.  i!4. 

,  iccet^t^iiiii  IVdrii  UuccnBton,  i.  25. 

,  riite  ol'  recession,  i.  27. 

,  I'allier  llciinepiii's  Uescription,  i. 

,  Kiiliii's  description,  i.  29. 

,  slope  of'tlie  river,  i.  31. 

,  (ioiit  Isliind  deposit,  i.  29. 

,  iincieiil  river  lied,  i.  30. 

,  AliKldv  Kiver  sand,  i.  33. 

,  Devil's  Hole,  i.  34. 

,  IJloody  Uiin,  i.  34. 

,  I'iitiirc  retessioii,  i.  30. 

,  (iriniii,  i.  'M. 

,  siiceessive  changes,  i.  38. 

,  fc^t.  Dnvid's  ravine,  i.  39. 

,  vast  lapse  of  past  time  proved  by, 

i.  41. 
— ,  "  niirniii^  Spring,"  ii,  75. 

,  drift,  li.  77. 

river,  cniirsn  of  tlic,  ii.  7(1. 

,  limestone,  !;iov<'s  on,  ii.  78. 

,  district,     supposed     geological 

cliai.ges  in,  ii.  f4. 
Nicollet,  M.,  i.  1'.)^;,  ii.  213. 
Noiiienclaiuro  of  phices,  i.  52. 
Norlli  Carolina  pine  liuests,  i.  157. 
Nova  Seolia,  ii.  137. 

,  climate  arid  scenery,  ii.  137. 

,  plants,  ii.  137. 

,  tossils,  ii.  I3S. 

,  red  iimd,  n.  139. 

,  proirress  of,  ii.  188. 

,  resonrces,  ii.  1H8. 

,  Highland  settlers,  ii.  189. 

,  tinilier  duties,  ii.  199 


,  uppreciulion  ot  sci4'nce,  ii, 

,  "going  luJUio,"  ii.  195. 


193 


O. 

Ohio,  voters  of,  i.  186. 

,  (looii  faiili  of,  i.  IPfi. 

,  coal,  nipuiidanee  of,  ii.  22. 

,  vast  area  of,  ii.  25. 

,  Brownsville  coal,  ii.  22. 

,  projiress  of  civile-aiion,  ii.  64. 

,  population  of,  ii,  C.5. 

,  river,  succession  of  steps  in  b;;nks 

ol,  ii.  34. 
Old  red  sandstone,  fish,  i.  .58  ti.  9,  40. 
Onondaga  salt  jiroiip,  ii.  217. 
Ontario,  tortoises,  i.  19. 
Opossum  footstips,  i.  1.13. 
Oral  instruction,  influence  of,  i.  87. 
Orniiliichniles,  i.  2in). 
Outlier  of  quattzose  grit  in  Allcghanies, 

ii.  18. 


Owen,  Mr.  Dale,  map  of  Illinois  coal 

tield,  ii.  2(1. 

,  ii.  2(17. 

Oxford  University,  pcculiurities  of  sys- 
tem, i.  215. 

,  division  into  colleaes,  i.  210. 

,  age  of  sliidenis,  i.  217. 

,  choice  of  teaelieis,  i.  217. 

,  Kuliversioa  of  original  scheme,  i 

219. 

,  concourse  of  students,  i.  219. 

,  heads  of  houses,  i.  219. 

,  hoarding  house.s,  i.  219. 

,  Sir  \V.  Hamilton  on,  i.  221. 

,  estaijlishment  of  new  colleges,  i. 

221. 

,  Earl  of  Leicester,  i.  222. 

,  Arcliliishop  Ijaud,  i.  222. 

,  professors   supplanted  by  college 

tutors,  i.  2J4. 

,  laxity  of  discipline,  i.  224. 

,  courses  of  leeiures,  i.  225. 

,  examination  statute  of  1800,  i.  225. 

,  subjects    taught    by  one   tutor,  i 

227 

,  classifiration  of  students,  i.  220. 

,  responsion.s.  i.  228. 

.private  tutors  or  "crammers,"  i. 

2-29-231. 
,  tailing  off  of  professors'  classes,  i» 

232-237. 

,  members  of  convocation,  i.  234i 

,  ecclesiastical  spirit,  i.  234. 

,  tractarian  movement,  i.  £3C. 

,  youth  of  public  examiners,  i.  238.- 

,  exclusive  system,  i.  249. 


Packed  ice,  ii.  144. 
Paleoniscus,  i.  125;  ii.  214. 
Passports  of  slaves,  i.  134. 
Patapsco,  valley  of  the,  ii.  5. 
Peacock,  Dr.,  on  the  statutes  of  Cam- 
bridge university,  i.  230. 
Peat  in  Great  Dismal,  i.  116. 
Pecopteris,  list  of  species,  ii.  169. 
Pelagic  deposits,  il   47. 
P<'nitentiary  at  Philadelphia,  i.  161. 
Pennsylvania,  anthracite,  i  C5,  197. 
Pennsylvania,  debt  of,  i.  173. 

defalcation,  i.  174. 

,  taxes  im|insed,  i.  175. 

,  public  works,  i.  175. 

,  ta.x-assessor's  inquiries,  i.  176 

,  causes  of  insolvency,  i.  176. 

,  borrowing  to  pay  dividends,  i.  177. 

.small  power  of  executive,  i.  178. 

,  probability  of  payment,  i.  179. 

,  German  population  of,  i.  182. 

,  fraudulent  voting,  i.  184. 

Pennsylvaniaiis,  conduct  of,  i.  174. 

Pentainerus  ohloncus,  ii,  41,  318. 

Percival,  Dr ,  ii.  209. 

Percy,  Dr.,  i.  197. 

"  Personal  notes,"  iL  0. 


INDEX. 


229 


'  of  Illlnoia  coal 

pliaiitios  of  sys- 

P".  i.  210. 
Til  7. 

i-217. 
I'iniil  scljcmo,  i 

.T*=>  i.  2iy. 
U'ly. 

J2ia 

I"-  i.  221. 

Iit'w  coiJcgos,  i. 

•  22^ 

•  222. 
ht'd  by  college 

!■  221. 
i.  225. 

of  J800,  i.  225. 
y  une   tutor'i* 

ients,  i.  220. 

crammers,"  i. 

sora'  elnsseg,  U 

"lion,  i.  23* 
i.  234. 
t,  i.  £30. 
niners,  i.  238 
i49. 


ntcs  of  Cara- 

.'l6D. 

II.  i.  IGI. 
es,  J97. 


',  i.  176 
.176. 

>^n(h,  i.  J  77. 
v«,  i.  178. 
.  i.  179. 
i.  182. 
I. 

i.  174. 
!18. 


Philiidelplii.i,  1.00, 153. 

C'kclioii,  i.  83. 

,  reccpiiuii    of  Mr.   C.  Dickens,  i. 

1.58. 

,  fu'isil  hiimnn  bones,  i.  159. 

,  Dr.  ll:irl;in,  i.  100. 

,  lunstdilon  skoloton,  i.  100. 

— ,  p'MiiU'iiliup',  i.  101. 

,  fiii.'iiiciiil  cririi.s,  i.  172. 

I'ictou,  Kliicial  (iiiniws,  ii.  137. 

,  coal  fluid,  ii.  103. 

Pini-  llarrons,  i.  llv:,  113. 

ritishiirgh,  seiiiii  ulcoal  at  Brownsville, 

ii.  -.2. 

,  vast  ar(!a  of,  ii.  S-l. 

,  fossil  shells,  ii.  28. 

rip.ntors,  hospitality  of,  107,  123,   121, 

n.). 

,  style  of  living,  i.  144. 

Plants  near  R(i»lon,  i.  4. 

of  Sclioliario,  i.  53. 

near  Savannah,  i.  134. 

Piuiiihaginoiis  aniliracite  of  Worcester, 

i.   190  ;  preface. 
Poli;)he<l  uieks  near  Lake  Erie,  ii.  81. 
Piiliteiiess  to  women,  i.  57,  104.        CIQ 
Poiiieroy  coal,  ii.  37. 
Population  of  Ihf  United  States,  ii.  65. 

,  Professor  Tucker's  estimate,  ii.  00. 

.  prowth  of,  in  United  Stiites,  ii.  102. 

"Pork   aristocracy,"   at  Cincinnati,  ii. 

01. 
Post  pliocene  and  .illiivinm,  ii.  213. 
Potsdam  8an<lstonc,  ii.  131. 
Pottsville,  i.  07. 

Prescott's  "  Conquest  of  Mexico,"  i.  91. 
Presidential  elections,  ii.  08. 
Prodiicta,  lint  of  species,  in  Nova  Scotia, 

ii.  187. 
Psaroniiis,  ii.  35. 


(inadrnpeds.  range  of,  I.  137. 
Quebec,  forlilicutioiis,  ii.  97. 


K. 

Racoons,  t.  133. 
Railways,  i.  8, 123. 
Railway  cars,  i.  113. 

train  in  N.  Carolina,  i.  1.57 

Rain-drops  nt  lialtimore,  ii.  140. 

Ravenel  Dr.,  i.  13S. 

lli'Ciission  of  Ninji.vra  Kails,  i.  25,  27. 

Redfinld,  Mr.,  i.  12.  100. 

Red  mud  of  Hay  of  I'unJy,  ii.  143. 

Religious  excitement,  i.  102. 

Rennsalaer,  General  Van,  i.  56 

Repudiation,  i.  171,  1^*8. 

,  "d(aector,"  i.  171. 

,  valueless  p:;i)(,'r,  i.  172. 

Rhode  Island,  coal  plants,  i.  100. 
,  democratic  movement,  ii.  2. 


,  charter  of  Charles  II.,  ii. 


Rhode  Island  "SuiTragc  Convention," 
ii.  4. 

Ri(l'4i'.-jof  Alleghaiiies  between  Cumber- 
land aiul  I'rostburg,  ii.  7. 

.  moiKitiinnus  ouiljiu.',  ii.  8. 

Ijciween  Frostbur^'  and  Ifnion,  ii.21. 

of  sand  near  Toninto,  ii.  80. 

,  uuil'orm  level  of  tlieir  base  lines, 

ii.  8-!. 

,  lacustrine  theorv,  ii.  83. 

,  Mr.  Whittiejey.'ii.  Ul. 

,  Mr.  IM.ither,  ii.  ill. 

.  lliuory  of  se.iuibanks,  ii.  93. 

liipple-'uiirks,  ii.  i;t.\ 

Koclie^ier  sand-ridge,  i.  19. 

,  iiia>to(l.)a  bones,  i.  19. 

"  Kiicli"j  moiitonnees,"  ii.  115. 

Koc king  chairs,  i.  1 13. 

Uockport,  ''lake  ridges,"  ii.  71. 

Rock\ illc,  Waverley  sandstone,  ii.  40. 

Rocky  River  ridges,  ii,  73. 

illll,  trap  and  sandstone,  i.  9. 

Rogers,  ProlVssor  W.  I$„  i.  95  ;  ii.  206. 

,  II.  1»„  i.  00,  71,  ii.  2i0. 

Roots,  f(itf-il,  resting  ou  coal,  ii.  153. 

Rov,  iSlr.,  ii.  85. 

Ru'ma,  Mr.,  i.  114. 


B. 


St.  David's  ravine,  i.  39 ;  Ii.  79. 

St.  Ktieane.  ii,  lt>4. 

St.  John,  lake,  limestone  of,  ii.  203. 

St.  John's  ColU'gi!,  Cambridge,  i.  239. 

St.    Lawrence    Valley,    geologicHi   rc" 

semblance  to  Scandinavia,  ii.  1U3,  104, 

,  gliicial  furrows,  ii.  113. 

,  drift,  ii.  116. 

Salaitiaiider,  i.  128. 

S.ile  of  literiuy  works  in  United  States. 

i.  2  0. 
Salt  in  Onondaga  group,  ii.  217. 

spriims  or  lick.s,  ii.  218. 

Sr.nd-baiiks  and  bars,  ii.  90. 

ridge  at  Rochester,  i.  19. 

ridges,  ii.  80,  87.  88,  91,  93. 

Sftndsliine  of  Lake  Superior,  ii.  258. 
Santee  C.inal,  i.  159. 
Snvannah  river,  i.  124. 

while  limestone,  i.  138. 

,  i.  130. 

Savings'  bank  of  New  York,  i.  173. 
Saynisch,  Dr.,  i.  50. 
Sc:inilinavia,  isjnems  rocks  of,  ii.  104. 
Scenery  of  United  States,  south  of  Lake 

Erie,  i  40, 
Si;hi)h".rie,  i.55. 
t^clioiils,  i.  9.5. 
Scotch  cniiL'rants,  ii.  98. 

setlliM>-,  ii.  70. 

.Sects,  ('(piMlity  of,  i  90. 

.''i'.i  vr.iits,  dithniliy  of  obtaining,  i.  59. 

S'tllcs,  new,  i.  20. 

,  ilriiish,  unable  to  speak  English, 

ii.  95, 
Shell  bluir,  Georgia,  i.  121, 126. 


21 


230 


INDEX. 


Shells,  rcpeiit,  of  Maf^snchusctts,  i.  5. 

,  fossils  of  Nuw  Jersey,  i.  04. 

of  eocene  deposits,  i.  142. 

— —  in  Frostburg  coul,  ii.  1.5. 
—  at  Big  Bone  Licit,  ij.  57. 
— -  in  Montreal  Mountain,  hciglit  of, 

ii.  119. 
•—  at  Beauport,  near  Quebec,  ii.  121, 

125. 
Shockoc  Creelt  marls,  i.  106. 
8tiubenacn(lie  River,  ii.  13i). 

,  estuary  of  the,  ii.  1!)2. 

Bigillariic  in  coal  strata,  ii.  15G,  167, 1G8. 
Blllnnan,  Professor,  ii.  14. 
Silurian  rocks,  thinning  out,  i.  15. 

of  New  York,  i.  45. 

in  the  Appalachians,  ii.  8. 

— — ,  fossils  of  Scandinavia  and  Russia, 

ii.  44. 
— —  forinations,  absence  of  land  plants 

and  vertebrate  animals,  ii.  4G. 
limestone,  with  trap,  Montreal,  ii. 

104. 
Skunk  nt  Frostbiiig,  ii.  19. 
Slave-labour,  i.  104,  125. 
Slaves,  thoughtlessness  of,  i.  125, 139. 

,  p.issports  required  for,  i.  134. 

,  cheerfulness  of,  i.  135,  144. 

,  treatment  of,  i.  144. 

— — ,  bonstfulness  of,  i.  145. 

,  vanity,  1.  145. 

,  numerical  preponderance,  i.  146. 

— — ,  marri.igcs,  i.  146. 

— — ,  animal  existence,  i.  147. 

— — ,  social  di'gradati(m,  i.  140. 

,  rapid  increase  of,  i.  147. 

,  obstacles  to  emancipation,  i.  148. 

— ,  laws  against  education,  i.  149. 
—-,  escape  favoured  by  free  States,  i. 

150. 

,  monopoly  of  labour,  i.  151. 

,  natural  capacities,  i.  153. 

Slavery,  al)i>lition  of,  i.  153, 155. 

Sleigh-driving,  i.  99. 

Smith's  Ferry,  birds'  foot-prints,  i.  200. 

Smoke,  absence  of,  i.  67. 

Snow-storm  nt  Durham,  i.  101. 

Society  in  Boston,  i.  9S. 

Soldiers  make  bad  settlers,  ii.  OA. 

South  Brooklyn  drift,  i.  190. 

Joggins,  upright  fossil  trees  near, 

ii.  154. 
Springfield,  i.  9. 
Squirrels,  ii.  59. 
Stage-conth  drivers,  i.  46. 
Stntcn  Island  sycnttp,  i.  189. 
States,  unity  of,  i.  193. 
State  Surveys,  ii.  201,  208. 
Steamboats,  ii.  130. 

• on  the  Hudson,  i.  12,  57. 

— —  on  the  Ohio,  ii.  27. 
Stigmarin  at  Rlnssberg,  i.  SO. 
at  Pottsville,  i.  <>9. 

—  in  coal  of  Frostburg,  ii.  15. 
— —  and  n)nrine  shells,  Ii.  15. 
with  oilier  plants,  ii.  \!i. 

—  in  saijdstonc,  ii.  100,  108. 


Sligmaria  root  of  SIgillarin,  ii.  157. 
Slony  Bluff  burr.stoiie,  i.  126. 
"  Stump  oratory,"  il.  68. 
'•  SullViige  conveuiion"  of  Rliode   Is- 
land, ii.  3. 
Siig;ir-niiiplp,  i.  .It. 
t^upcrior,  lake,  sand-ifone  of,  ii.  201. 
Hwallows'  nest,  ii.  130. 
Sydenham,  Lord,  ii.  100. 
"  Synipalhlsers,"  ii.  101. 


T. 

Taconic  range  of  mountains,  i.  195. 
Tanieness  of  wild  animals,  i.  52. 
Taxes,  i.  175. 

,  determination  to  resist,  ii.  7. 

Tax  assessor's  inquiries,  i.  176. 

Taylor,  Mr.  R.  C,  i.  94;  ii.  206. 

Thames,  ii.  Iil7. 

Thanksgiving  day,  i.  97. 

Thousand  Lsles,  limestone  of,  ii.203. 

Three  Rivers,  Canada,  ii.  98. 

Timber,  destruction  of,  in  New  England, 

i.  9. 

duties,  ii.  190. 

Creek,  corals,  i.  64. 

Toronto,  ii.  85. 

,  ridges  of  sand  and  gravel,  ii.  8& 

,  Mr.  Roy,  ii.  85. 

,  progress  of  the  colony,  ii.  92. 

Tortoises,  i.  19,  207. 

Towns,  rapid  growth  of,  i.  17,  48. 

Tracks  of  annelides,  ii.  140. 

Tractarian  luovemcnt  at  Oxford,  i.  236. 

Trap,  ii.  214,  219. 

Travelling,  economy  of  time,  i.  84. 

,  facilities  of,  i.  122. 

,  ii.  133. 

Tree,  potritied,  in  Halifax  Museum,  i.  2. 
Tr(?!,'s,  age  of,  in  Americ-tn  forest,  i.  48. 
.  fossil,  upright,  in  Nova  Scotia,  ii. 

149. 
TronKm  election,  i.  83. 

limestone,  ii.  42. 

Triloliites  of  New  York  Silurian  rocks, 

ii.  45. 
Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  i.  239. 
Troost,  Dr.,  ii.  207. 
Truro,  rapidity  of  tides,  ii.  207. 
Tucker,    Professor,    on    United  States 

population,  ii.  66. 
Tiioniey,  Mr.,  i.  157. 
Turkey  buzzards,  i.  12ft. 


U. 

I'nin  or  freshwater  mussel,  !i.  27. 
I'ninn  coaf  seam,  ii.  22. 
Universul  suffrage,  i.  181. 

,  aliens,  i.  181. 

,  Irish  voters,  i.  182. 

,  fr;iudiili'nt  voting,  i.  184. 

New  Eii<!l:ind  States,  i.  18& 


1\DEX. 


231 


Universities  of  New  Englnnd,  i.  211.    - 

,  divinity  scliools,  i.  211 .         -■^.'^^ 

,  Pill ly ago  ((('quitting  college,  i.-ill. 

,  lliirvnrii  College  systtni,  i.  214. 

in  Scotl.iiKl,  i.  ii\-i. 

,  iniilliiilieiitiou  of,  i.  211. 

— — ,  r(;lij;i()iirf  tests,  i.  212.- 

,  Iiisli  Coll<'(.'e,  i.  2i:). 

of  Eiiyl.-ind,  i.   215.    See  Oxford 

!ind  C!\iiiliii(lt'c. 
Utica  slate,  ii.  2Je*. 


V. 

Vnniixem,  Mr.,  i.  77 :  ii.  209. 
Virpinia,  niiucenc  strata  cl',  i.  100;  jire- 
face. 

.  coal,  ii.  21-1. 

Voteri!,  alien,  i.  181. 
,  Irish,  i.  1&2. 


W 

^^'ah■us,  fossil  skull  of,  i.  20j. 


Wr.re,  Jlr.  Henry,  i.  92. 
Wasliing'on,  disadvantages  of,  i.  102. 

,  national  niu.st'um,  i.  102. 

,  (ieneral,  i.  lOi). 

'ti  plantulion,  i.  158. 

WaliThouse,  ."Mr.,  ii.  142. 

W'uverlcy  san(l.-<tono,  ii.  40. 

West  luilian  emancipation,  i.  148,  152 

107. 
Wheel ioK  on  tlio  Ohio,  ii.  2.8. 

,  Indian  mound  ne.ir,  ii.  29. 

Wiii'Well,  Dr.. on  the  University sygtcm 

of  Cainl)ridj.'c,  i.  211,215. 
AVhiie  IJIiiir  Creek,  i.  13!l. 
Whittlcwv,  Mr.,  ii.  01,  93. 
Willi  anlni;-.;.-',  i.  .5J. 
Willi.iinslFnvf;  univursity,  i.l08. 
Wiliiiiiijj.on,  \orlli  Carolina,  fossils,  i. 

l.'ili. 
Wiiion.-lii,  falls  of,  ii.  128. 
W(jiu!v.ard,  Mr.  S.,  ii.  lt>5. 
VVorcivter,  MadsachiisettL',  mica  schist, 

i.  l!i(). 
,  plunibnginous  anthracite,  i.  190; 

preface. 


Till:  END. 


VESTIGES  OF  THE  CREATION.  1 

Vestiges  of  the  Natural  History  of  Creation.  By  Sir  Richard  i 
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and  the  At- 

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"  It  is  rare  to  meet  with  a  work  so  well  fitted  to  aid  In  the  acquisition  of 
knowledge  as  this ;  indeed,  we  have  never  seen  any  similar  directory  tu  an 
English  reader,  that  seemed  to  us  to  cnninnro  with  it,  either  in  respect  to  its 
fortunate  arrangement  or  general  felicity  of  execution.    We  would  recommend 
to  every  young  person  who  intends  to  give  any  attention  to  the  culture  of  his  ^ 
mind,  to  keep  this  book  by  him  as  a  constant  guide  ;  and  jiersons  of  any  nge  oi  ! 
any  profession,  will  And  It  as  a  book  of  reference  quite  invaluable."— .4^ia»y  - 
Reliffioua  Spectator, 

"This  book  is  eminently  fitted  to  be  both  popular  and  nge(\il.    For  want  of 
soma  such  guide  as  this,  a  large  pnrt  of  the  reading,  particularly  of  young  per- 
sons, is  to  little  purpose ;  and  many  who  deservedly  acquire  the  character  of 
great  readers,  really  acquire  very  little  as  the  fruit  of  their  reading.    The  pres- 
ent work  will  not  only  relieve  the  mind  that  is  doubtful  what  course  of  reading 
to  adopt,  or  that  has  been  unable  to  find  any  satisfactory  course  marked  out, 
I  but  it  will  contribute  to  arrange  and  systematize  the  mind's  acquisitions,  so 
I  ;h«t  they  shall  be  at  command  whenever  they  are  needed.    It  will  be  found 
I  an  admirable  work  of  reference,  not  only  for  students  in  the  course  of  their 
i  education,  but  for  professional  men,  and  for  all  who  wish  to  know  what  the 
I  greatest  and  best  minds  have  thought  on  the  most  Important  subjccu." — 
I  Albany  Argu$. 

I     "This  work  is  designed  to  enable  the  student  to  select  such  works  as  wilt 
;  most  rapidly  advance  his  knowledge  of  any  particular  branch  or  subject  of 
I  literature,  the  arts,  lie.    It  may  be  profitably  consulted  by  all  who  desire  to  \ 
i  have  their  studies  directed  by  mature  judgment  and  experience."— Bo/ttiiMr* 
[  American. 

"  There  is  a  vast  deal  of  time  spent  to  little  purpose  by  almost  every  person  \ 
\  who  U  given  much  to  reading,  from  an  inability  to  make  a  suitable  selection  of 
'  books.  The  present  work  is  designed  and  admirably  adapted  to  lemedy  this 
evil,  and  the  course  of  reading  which  it  marks  out,  seems  to  us  altogether  the 
1  most  judicious  that  we  have  ever  met  with.  It  not  only  gives  the  names  of  the 
;  most  distingoisbed  authors  in  the  various  departments  of  learning,  but  fur- 
\  nishes  hints  by  which  the  reader  may  judge  of  their  comparaUve  merits.  To 
.'  the  professional  man,  as  well  as  to  the  student,  the  work  will  be  invaluable." 
I  — Daily  Amer.  Citizen. 

\  "  A  volume  which  we  can  conscientiously  recommend  as  marking  out  an 
!  accurate  comrse  of  historical  and  general  reading,  from  which  a  vast  acquisi- 
;  tion  of  sound  knowledge  must  result.  The  arrangements  and  system  are  no 
I  less  admirable  than  the  lele'^tion  of  authors  pointed  ant  for  study."— X,t(«rary 
',  Oatette. 

"  We  do  not  know  o.'  a  better  index  than  this  well-considered  little  book  to 
I  a  general  course  of  rettding.  It  might,  as  such,  be  safely  and  advantageously 
I  put  into  the  hands  of  all  young  persons  who  have  finished  their  education,  and 
!  are  about  to  take  their  place  in  society,  or  to  begin  the  world."— jK/m. 

I  ■'  This  course  is  admirably  adapted  t)  promote  a  really  Intellectual  study  of 
;  history,  philosophy,  and  the  belles-lettres,  as  distinguished  from  that  mere  ae- 
\  cumulation  of  words  and  dates  In  the  memory,  which  passes  for  education.'— 
;  Critic. 

"  A  most  admirable  and  simply-arranged  work,  fit  to  be  placed  In  the  hands 
[  of  every  yonng  man  about  to  enter  on  a  course  of  English  Reading.  It  may  be 
1  profitable.  In  truth,  to  every  one ;  while  the  lively  anecdotes  intermixed  with 
I  the  subject-matter,  render  it  ftall  of  interest  and  amusement."— .4mtuleaii. 


r 


i 


JOHNSTON'S    AGRICULTURE. 

•  Lectures  on  the  Application  of  Ciiemistry  and   Geology  to 
j      Agriculture.     By  J.  F.  W.  Johnston.     Complete  in  one 
j      thick  vol.     $1  25;  or  in  2  vols.  $1  50. 
■  Contents: — 


Part  1. — On  the  Organic  Constituents  of  Plants. 

"     2. — On  the  Inorganic  Constituents  of  Plants.  s 

"    3. — On  the  Improvetnent  of  the  Soil  by  Mechanical  \ 
and  Chemical  means.  i 

"    4. — On  the  Products  of  the  Soil  and  their  use  in  the  | 
Feeding  of  Animals. 
Appendix. — Of  Suggestions  and  Results  of  Experiments  in 
Practical  Agriculture. 

"It  isunqucBtinnnbly  the  most  iiii|Kirtniit  cnniributloii  to  agriciitliiral  wioiice, 
and  deatiiivd  to  cxeit  a  moA  benuflciul  influence  in  this  country." — Profua»r 
SiUiman. 

"A  vfork  of  great  value  to  the  .ncrienltiirist  who  would  avail  hiin«eirof  the 
aid  of  science  in  the  C4illivation  of  hid  land."— .4m.  JIgriculturiat. 

"This  truly  valuable  work  rorma  the  only  complete  treatise  on  the  whole 
subject  to  be  found  in  any  langunge."— BtocAi0oo<<'«  Magatine. 

"The  most  complete  account  of  Agricultural  Cheiniatry  we  posses*."— Aoyai 
JlgrictUtwrat  Journal. 

"  We  only  wish  it  were  in  the  hands  of  every  farmer's  son  in  the  country." — 
Durham  Jidvertiser. 

"  Nothing  liltherto  published  iias  at  all  equalled  It,  both  as  regards  true  scienre 
and  sound  common  sense." — Quar.  Journal  of  Agriculture. 

"A  valuable  and  interesting  Course  of  Lectures."- /.omfon  Quar.  Review. 


WATER  CURE,  FOR  LADIES. 

A  popular  work  on  the  Health,  Diet,  and  Regimen  of  Fe- 

males  and  Children,  and  prevention  and  cure  of  diseases ; 

with  a  full  account  of  the  process  of  Water  Cure,  illustrated 

with  various  cases,  by  Mrs.  M.  L.  Shew,  revised  by  Joel 

Shew,  M.  D.     1  vol.     Price  50  cents. 

"  A  valuable  and  instructive  work  on  that  most  interesting  branch  of  modem 
medical  science,  the  medical  virtues  of  water." — JV.  Y.  Eiprett. 

"The  authoress  has  reduced  the  system  to  practice,  and  found  it  every  waf 
equal  in  its  curative  influences  to  the  reprcsentatiuiis  of  its  many  advocates.**— 
TnuSun. 


I  'V  |VtfV'>^^A^^^^V%/S'Sr«V  '• 


t  y^^^ry^^  ^ '«  i^Ni^v  w 


QARDENINQ    FOR    LADIES. 

Gardening  for  Ladies  ;  and  Cumpanion  to  the  I'lower-Gardcn. 
Being  an  Alphabetical  arrangement  of  all  the  ornamental 
Plants  usually  grown  in  gardens  and  shrubberies;  with 
full  directions  for  their  culture.  By  Mrs.  Loudon.  First 
American,  from  the  second  London  edition.  Revised  and 
edited  by  A.  J.  Downing.  1  thick  vol.  12mo.,  with  en- 
gravings representing  the  processes  of  grafting,  budding, 
layering,  &c.,  &c.     $1  50. 

••  A  truly  cliarniiiig  work,  writl)>n  vviili  Hlmpliclty  nnil  cIcnrncM.  It  is  decl- 
doilly  the  bimt  work  on  thu  oiilijccr,  nrid  w«  atronttly  ri'conimend  it  to  all  our 
fair  cuuntrywomen,  as  a  work  they  ouglit  not  to  b«  witliout.''— JV.  Y,  Couriir. 

"Mr.  DowniiiR  i»  cntlilt'd  to  the  ilmnks  of  the  fair  florists  of  our  country  for 
tiitro<lucinK  to  iliuir  ucquuintance  tills  coniprehensivo  and  excellent  manual, 
which  must  iR'Conie  very  popular.  iimldL's  an  inatructive  treatment  on  the  best 
modes  of  culture,  trnnsplanlinii,  boddiiig,  traininii,  destroying  InNccis,  b.c.,  and 
the  manafteuient  of  plants  m  jiois  and  green-lioust's,  illusirated  with  nunieroui 
plutos;  the  work  conipiiHes  a  Dicilnnary  of  the  EiigHHh  and  Dotanic  names  of 
the  inosl  popular  tluwers,  with  directions  for  their  culture.  Altogether  we 
should  Judge  it  to  lie  the  most  valuable  work  in  the  department  to  which  it 
buiungs." — Xeieark  Jidvertiaer. 

"This  is  a  full  and  complete  manual  of  Instruction  upon  the  subject  of  which 
it  treats.  Being  Intended  for  tliose  who  have  little  or  no  previous  knowledge  of 
gardening,  it  presents,  in  a  very  precise  and  detailed  manner,  all  that  is  neces- 
sary to  bo  known  upon  it,  and  cannot  fail  to  awaken  a  more  general  taste  for 
these  heaitliful  and  pleai<aiit  pursuits  among  the  ladies  of  our  country."— JV.  Y, 
7ViAu»i«. 

"  Tliis  truly  delightful  work  cannot  bo  too  highly  commended  to  our  fldr  coun- 
trywomen."— JV.  Y.  Journal  of  Commerct. 

"  We  cordially  welcome,  and  heartily  commend  to  all  our  fair  friends,  whether 
living  In  town  or  countrj',  this  very  txcellent  work."— JV.  Y.  Tribune. 


THE  BIRDS  OF  LONG  ISLAND. 

Containing  a  description  of  the  habits,  plumage,  &u.,  of  all 
the  species  now  known  to  visit  that  section,  comprising  the 
larger  number  of  birds  found  throughout  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  the  neighboring  States.  By  T.  P.  Giraud,  jr. 
1  vol.  8vo.     Price  $2  00. 

This  work,  though  designed  chiefly  for  the  use  of  the  gunners  and  sportsmen 
residing  on  Long  Island,  will  still  serve  as  a  book  of  reference  for  amateurs  and 
others  collecting  ornithological  speciincns  in  various  sections  of  the  United 
States,  particularly  for  those  persons  residing  on  the  sea-coasts  of  New  Jersey 
and  the  Eastern  Siotes. 


d  to  our  fiUr  coun- 


THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  INDIANS. 

Manners  and  Customs  of  the  North  American  Indiuns.  (u 
Letters  and  Notes  written  diirinrr  eight  years  travel  among 
the  wildest  tribes  of  Indians  in  North  America,  with  400 
spirited  illustrations,  carefully  engraved  from  his  Original 
Paintings.  By  George  Catlin.  A  new  edition  in  2  vols, 
royal  8vo.     Price  $0  00,  bound  in  cloth. 

*«*  Four  edllionH  of  ihU  very  IntrrctilinK  wnrk  huvp  hern  primed  in  London. 
Among  ttie  aulMrriberii  wvrt  th«  Cluvi^n,  ih<^  Qiici'ii  Downier,  th«  Kiiiu  of  Ucl- 
glum,  and  many  of  tho  most  dialinRuinhcd  periionH  in  Kuru|N-.  It  contaiiiH  cliar- 
octeriiilic  and  faithful  rvcord*  of  a  rnco  of  pt'opic  wlio  nn^  rnpidly  brcoiniiie  cx- 
tiiict:  and  it  in  not  probable  thnt  anothrr  gjuillnr  work  ciin  ever  bu  written. 
One  of  the  moat  remarkable  tribtii,  tlif  Mnndani),  are  Hlrciidy  fiiiir<.'ly  dcHtroyt'd. 
This  work  ban  been  morn  extPMHivfly,  copiounly,  <ind  fiivorubly  ruvlewtid  in 
Europe,  than  any  other  publiiiiied  during  tiie  iaNt  live  year*. 


BULU8  HINTS  TO  MOTHERS. 

Hints  to  Mothers,  for  the  Management  of  Health  during  the  | 
period  of  pregnancy,  and  in  the  lying-in  room ;  with  an 
exposure  of  popular  errors  in  connection  with  those  subjects. 
By  Thomas  Bull,  M.  D.      1  neat  vol.     Fourth  Edilton. 

Price  38  cents ;  or  in  cloth  binding,  50  cents. 

"Wc  recommend  It  to  our  readem;  and  they  'vill  confer  n  bcnclil  on  their 
new  married  patients  by  recominending  it  to  them." — Forbtt'  Hevirit. 

"There  is  no  mother  that  will  not  lie  heartily  thankful  that  Ihla  l>ook  ever 
fell  into  her  hands ;  nnd  no  huxlinnd  who  Hhuuld  i  nt  prewnt  it  to  hiH  wile.  We 
eaiiuot  urge  its  value  too  vtroiigly  on  all  wlioni  it  i oncuriis." — JUed.  Timet. 


FLORA  OF  NORTH  AMERICA. 

Flora  of  North  America,  comprising  an  account  of  all  tlie  in- 
digenous and  naturalized  plants  growing  north  of  Mexico. 
By  John  Torrey  and  Asa  Gray.     Vol.  1,  (pp.  771,)  price 

$6  GO.    Vol.  2,  parts  1,  2,  3.     $4  00. 

This  is  the  only  authentic  and  complete  American  Flora.    Tlio  object  of  the 

work  is  to  give  a  scientific  account  of  all  the  Indigenous  and  naturalized  plants 

;  of  North  America  at  present  known.     It  is  the  most  extensive  local  Flora  that 

<  hag  ever  been  uiidortaken.  The  latest  Flora  of  this  country,  that  of  Pursh,  was 
5  published  twenty-eight  years  ago,  at  which  period  cxtenwivt!  regions,  even  within 

<  the  United  States  proper,  had  never  been  visited  by  the  Botanist.  Since  that 
I  time,  the  number  of  known  plants  has  vastly  increasrd  ;  and  the  science  iuelf 
i  has  made  such  rapid  advancement,  that  this  work  will  present  tlie  liotijiy  of 
;  this  country  in  an  entirely  new  a,«pcet. 


t'~^  n.nAAfirt'V^rir'r'r -^-^nn**  ■"•■ — i-.^-^— »^-»->-^|— -^-^  — »|^-»..>»f»^  -  »^  — ^.^^^  tlT  '  ■  •« 


\ 


DOWNING,  ON  LANDSCAPE  GARDENING. 

A   Treutiso   on   Landscape   Gardening ;    adapted   to   North 
America,  with  a  view  to  the  improvement  of  Country  Ke< 
uidcnces.     Comprising  hintorical  notices,  and  general  prin- 
ciples of  the  art ;  directions  for  laying  out  grounds,  and  > 
arranging  plantations;  description  and  cultivation  of  huidy  1 
trees ;  decorative  accompaniments  to  the  house  and  grounds ;  : 
formation  of  pieces  of  artificial  water,  flower-gardens,  etc. ;  ; 
with  remarks  on  Rural  Architecture.     New  edition,  with 
largo   additions  and   improvements,   and   many   new   and  \ 
beautiful  illustrations.     By  A.  J.  Downing.     1  large  vol.  | 
8vo.     $3  50. 

■•Thl*  volume,  the  lint  Anxtricnn  trcntlso  nn  Ihiii  lubject,  will  at  once  lake  \ 
the  rank  of  tht  itandard  work." — SiUiman'ii  Journal.  \ 

'•  Downlng's  Lnndecnpe  Gardening  la  a  ninnterly  work  of  itt  kind,— more  \ 
especially  consiidering  that  the  art  ia  yet  In  its  Infancy  in  America." — Louden'*  \ 
Oardtncr's  JUagaiine.  \ 

*>  Nothing  has  been  omitted  that  can  in  the  lenst  contribute  to  a  full  and  ana-  | 
iytlcal  development  of  the  luiiiect ;  and  lie  treats  of  all  in  tlie  nioit  lucid  order,  | 
ond  with  much  perspicuity  and  grace  of  diction."— /7eniucra(ic  Jievieu.  | 

••  We  dlsmisfi  thl!<  work  with  much  respect  for  the  tnstc  and  Judgment  of  the 
author,  and  with  full  cuiitidunce  that  It  will  exert  a  conimunding  influence. 
Thev  are  valuable  and  instructive,  niid  every  man  of  taste,  thuugli  lie  may  not 
need,  will  do  well  to  possess  it."— JVurtA  Jlmerican  Review, 


DOWNING'8  FRUITS  OF  AMERICA. 

The  iTruits  and  Fruit  Trees  of  America  ;  or,  the  culture,  pro- 
pagation, and  managemant,  in  the  garden  and  orchard,  of 
fruit  trees  generally ;  with  descriptions  of  all  the  finest 
varieties  of  fruit,  native  or  foreign,  cultivated  in  the  gardens 
of  this  country.  Illustrated  with  numerous  engravings  and 
outlines  of  fruit.  By  A.  J.  Downing.  1  vol.  12mo.,  (and 
aloo  8vo. 

*,*  This  will  be  the  most  complete  work  on  the  subject  ever  >  .J..shed,  and 
will,  it  is  hoped,  supply  a  desideratum  long  felt  by  amateurs  and    altlvators. 


\ 


V  \^^V^V^>Vj 


ted   to   North 


,  will  at  once  take 


NEW  WORK  ON  THE  EAST. 

Eothon  ;  or,  Traces  of  Travel  brought  Homo  from  the  Kast. : 
1  neat  volume,  very  handsomely  printed  on  tine  paper. 
60    cents.  I 

CoNTKNTB. — Preface — Over  the  border — Journey  from  Uclgrade  ( 

I  to  Constantinoplo — C'onHtantinople— The  Troud— Infidvl  8myrtiii  j 

!  — Greek  mariners — Cyprus — Lady  Hester  Stanhope — The  Suuc« : 

tuary — The  monks  of  tlie  Holy  Land — From  Nazareth  to  Tiberius  > 

— My  first  bivouac— The  Dead  Sea— Tl>e  black  tents — Paflsujjo  ' 

I  of  the  Jordan — Terra  Sancta — The  dexcrt — Cairo  and  the  plague  | 

j  — The  Pyramids — The  Sphynx — Cairo  to  Suez — Suez — Suez  to  \ 

\  Gaza — Gaza  to  Nablous — Mariam — The  prophet  Damoor — Da- ! 

raascus — Pass  of  the  Lebanon — Surprise  of  Satalieh. 

\     "Grnuhic  In  ilellnontinn,  nnimnted  In  ntyle,  Oank  In  manner,  nnd  nrthdcnl  In  | 
,  the  choice  and  Uoutnicnt  ut°  the  Hiibjcuta  Htilectud  tor  prosentutiun."— Ji;i<c(a(ur. ' 

"  He  hni  wit  nnd  hinnor  that  shed  nn  llliistntlvo  Klcitni  on  every  ohjoct  | 
;  which  ho  doNcrlbos,  plucing  It  In  the  hupplcst  rcllel'."— ^t/i«n<«um,  (llmt  nutlcu.)  | 

"  The  book  Is  as  ■  light  as  light,'  and  as  lively  as  lllc,  yet  are  there  In  It  pa.s- 
I  lages  nnd  scenes  which  would  make  most  men  grave  and  soloum." — ^thtnaum,  \ 
1  (second  notice.) 

"This  book  with  a  bad  title  Is  wondcrAilly  c\evot."—Ejcaminer. 

"We  have  seldom.  In  a  word,  penned  a  volume  which  so  Irresistibly  claims 
;  the  attention,  Oom  the  flrst  page  of  the  preface  to  the  flnale  of  the  wandor- 
1  Ings."— ./It/o#. 

"  If  these  be  not  poetry,  and  of  a  pure  and  striking  kind  too,  we  are  no 
critics." — Literary  Oaittte. 

;     "  It  is  novel  In  all  lu  details."— Britannia. 

<     "  His  account  Is  brief,  but  were  volumes  written  It  could  not  bring  the  actual 
I  scene  more  to  onr  mind's  eye.    We  am  frequently  startled  In  the  midst  of  mirth 
>,  by  some  great  touch  of  nature — some  terrible  display  of  truth." — JVeies  of  the 
World. 

I  "The  scenes  through  which  he  passed  are  exhibited  with  a  clearness,  and 
I  stamped  upon  the  mind  with  a  strength,  which  Is  absolutely  fascinaUng.  The 
\  whole  Is  accompanied  with  the  strong  commanding  evidence  of  truth,  and  em- 
;  belUsbed  with  all  the  beauty  of  poetry."— G/o6«. 

"This  is  the  sort  of  writing  for  a  traveller— sketchy,  vigorous,  and  original." 
j  —Morning  Poet. 

"  A  book  which  exerts  a  very  fascinating  eflbct  on  its  readers."— .Vorniiv 
Chronicle. 

"  We  have  rarely  met  with  a  work  of  the  kUid,  blending  so  successively 
I  curious  and  Instructive  Information  with  light  and  amusing  reading."—  fVett- 
i  minster  Review. 

\  "Nothing  so  sparkling,  so  graphic,  so  truthful  In  sentiment,  so  poetic  In 
\  vein,  has  issued  from  the  press  for  many  a  day."— TAt  CWti'e. 

>,  "This  is  a  real  book— not  a  sham.  It  displays  a  varied  and  comprehend ve 
<;  power  of  mind,  and  a  genuine  mastery  over  the  flrst  and  strongest  of  modern 
languages.  The  author  has  caught  the  character  and  humor  of  the  eastern 
mind  as  completely  as  Anastasius,  while  In  his  gorgeous  descriptions  and 
,  powa:  of  sarcasm  he  rivals  Vathek.  His  terseness,  vigor,  and  bold  tmngery 
i  remind  us  of  the  brave  old  style  of  Fuller  and  of  South,  to  which  he  odds  a 
''  iiilrlt,  freshness,  and  delicacy  all  his  own."— Quarterly  Review. 


I  ^S^AA^iAA^i^.A>S/S>S,AAM,n>K^^^^  u  V 


DR.  CHEEVER'8  LECTURES  ON  BUNYAN. 


Lectures  on  the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  and  on  the  Life  and  | 

Times  of  John  Bunyan.     By  the  Rev.  George  B.  Cheever, 

D.  D.     1  thick  vol.  8vo.,  printed  in  large  type,  with  fine 

steel-plate  engravings.     $3  50 ;  or  in  15  numbers  at  25  '•; 

cents  each. 

Contents. — 1.  Bunyan  and  his  Times ;  2.  Bunyan's  Tempta- 
'ions  ;  3.  Bunyan's  Examination  ;  4.  Bunyan  in  Prison  ;  5.  Provi- 
dence, Grace,  and  Genius  of  Bunyan  ;  6.  City  of  Destruction  and 
Slough  of  Despond ;  7.  Christian  in  the  house  of  the  Interpreter ; 
8.  Christian  on  the  Hill  of  Difficulty ;  9.  Christian's  fight  with 
Apollyon ;  10.  Christian  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death; 
11.  Christian  and  Faithful  in  Vanity  Fair ;  12.  Doubting  Castle 
and  Giant  Despair ;  13.  The  Delectable  Mountains  and  En- 
chanted Ground ;  14.  Laud  Beulah  and  the  River  of  Death ;  15. 
Christiana,  Mercy,  and  the  Children. 

"  We  know  of  nothing  in  American  literature  more  likely  to  be  Interesting 
and  useful  than  these  lectures.  The  beauty  and  force  of  their  imagery,  the 
poetic  brilliancy  of  their  descriptions,  the  correcmess  of  their  sentiments,  and 
the  excellent  spirit  whicli  pervades  them,  must  make  their  perusal  a  feast  to  all 
of  the  religious  community." — Tribune. 


DOWNINQ'8  COTTAGE  RESIDENCES. 

Designs  for  Cottage  Residences,  adapted  to  North  America, 
including  Elevations  and  Plans  of  the  Buildings,  and  De- 
signs for  Laying  out  Grounds.  By  A.  J.  Downing,  Esq, 
1  vol.  Svo.  with  very  neat  illustrations.     Second  edition, 

revised.     $2  00. 

A  second  edition  of  the  "  Cottage  Residences"  is  just  published,  as  Part  I. ; 
and  It  is  announced  by  the  A^ithor  that  Part  II.,  which  is  in  preparation,  will 
contain  bints  and  deslfms  for  the  interiors  and  furniture  of  cottages,  as  well  as 
additional  designs  for  farm  buildings. 

One  of  the  leading  reviews  remarked  that  "  the  publication  of  these  works 
may  be  consld/ered  an  era  In  the  literature  of  thi^i  country."  It  is  certainly  true 
that  no  works  were  ever  issued  from  the  American  press  which  at  once  exerted 
a  more  distinct  and  extended  Influence  on  any  subject  than  have  these  upon  the 
taste  of  our  country.  Since  the  publication  of  the  flrst  edition  of  the  "Land- 
scape Gardening,"  the  taste  for  rural  embellishments  has  increased  to  a  surpris- 
ing extent,  and  in  almost  every  Instance  this  volume  is  the  text-book  of  the 
improver,  and  tlie  exponent  of  the  more  refined  style  of  arrangement  and  keeping 
introduced  into  our  country  residences. 

The  "  Cottage  Residences"  seems  to  have  been  equally  well-timed  and  hap- 
pily done.  Country  gentlemen,  no  longer  limited  to  the  meager  designs  of  un- 
educated carpenters,  are  erecting  agreeable  cottages  in  a  variety  of  styles  suited 
to  the  locaiioii  or  scenery.  Even  in  the  West  and  South  there  arc  already 
many  striking  cottages  and  villas  built  wholly,  or  in  part,  from  Mr.  Downing's 
designs ;  and  In  the  suburb'  of  some  of  the  cities,  most  of  the  new  resldenci.'s  are 
modified  or  moulded  after  the  hints  thrown  out  in  this  work. 


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JUNYAN. 

the  Life  and 
6  B.  Cheever, 
;ype,  with  fine 
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lyan's  Tempta- 
rison ;  5.  Provi- 
Destruction  and 
the  Interpreter ; 
an's  iight  with 
idovv  of  Death ; 
Doubting  Caatle 
tains  and  En- 
r  of  Death  ;  15. 


ly  to  lie  interesting 
their  imagery,  tlie 
eir  sentinienta,  and 
icrusai  a  feast  to  all 


ENCES. 

forth  America, 
dings,  and  De- 
Downing,  Esq. 
Second  edition, 


iblistied,  as  Part  I. ; 
in  preparation,  will 
cottages,  as  welt  aa 

tion  of  these  works 
It  is  certainly  true 
hich  at  once  exerted 
tiave  these  upon  the 
tion  of  the  "  Land- 
creased  to  a  surpris- 
he  text-boolc  of  the 
gement  and  Iteeping 

irell-timed  and  imp- 
eager  designs  of  un- 
iety  of  styles  suited 
h  there  arc  already 
from  Mr.  Downing's 
i  new  residences  are 


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